First Rights
by TheDoctor36
Summary: Remember Jordan? The boy who turned Maia into a werewolf? Yeah, he's back.
1. First Rights Chapter One

**First Rights Chapter One**

_Disclaimer: _I do not own the Mortal Instruments Series. This story uses a slightly modified idea from the Demonica Series, which I also do not own.

He walked along the empty street, searching. He had been tracking his prey for months now, and was finally ready to go for the kill. So to speak, in her case. As to that thing she'd been spending time with... his teeth began to lengthen slightly at the prospect of tearing out the thing's throat. Maia would be his once again, and only his. Their lives together would last forever this time.

Jordan Ripley had been a werewolf since he was seven years old. He had been turned viciously by his abusive mother, and after the bite marks had been seen by a few of the right people, Jordan had been put up for adoption. He had still been living in the orphanage when he transformed for the first time. He had managed to get out of the back door before he hurt anyone and before anyone had the chance to hurt him. No one had seen Jordan change, no one had been there, but still the rumors flew. Every potential parent was wary of taking a child who had so many dark rumors swirling around him like poisoned snowflakes.

When Jordan was twelve, after five incredibly long and rough years at the orphanage, he had been adopted. Naturally, he was suspicious of anyone who would accept a child such as himself, with so many obvious problems. He was right to be mistrustful, but not for the reasons he had thought. Rather than his adoptive parents being scientists who would want to run tests on his or such, the man and the woman were both werewolves as well. They had seen and lived the horrors of attempting to grow up in a community that still wasn't aware or accepting of your existence. They gave Jordan a place to live with judgement or fear.

His life had seemed almost perfect, and had only gotten more so when he met a girl. She was so sweet and lovely, never a harsh word to say about anyone. She was defending him when they first met, fending off some bullies who only wanted to taunt Jordan as an adopted child. Maia had flown to his defense as quickly as she could. Jordan had been grateful to her for her bravery, but what were a few bullies when you grew a snout and claws once every month?

Nevertheless, Maia had stepped to the plate to defend Jordan, and the bullies had left ashamed of themselves. Jordan and Maia had began to talk, more and more as days went by. They spent plenty of time together, and both grew to have feelings for the other. Jordan had asked Maia to be his girlfriend, and she had immediately agreed. They had been out on a few dates, but then the wolf had appeared. Jordan became jealous and was enraged every time he glimpsed Maia within ten feet of another male. He had then grown so possessive, so controlling that he hardly recognized himself. Once, he had backhanded Maia across her gorgeous face.

Jordan had been so shocked that he simply stood there and watched the red mark appear on her cheek, along with the tears springing to her eyes mixed with old pain and a good dose of resignation. In a flash, Jordan knew that she had been abused before, and had a terrible urge to kill the person who had given this young woman the scars she concealed beneath her skin. A small whimper of pain broke him out of his murderous thoughts. Maia was still hurting, and the knowledge that this time was his doing had crippled Jordan. He kissed Maia fervently, and apologized as many times as he could without getting on Maia's nerves. Still, he would rather have Maia angry at him any day than have her afraid of him. Jordan swore to himself that he would never again lay a hand on her in anger.

And yet, a few days later, Maia had stayed after school late to work on a science project. The problem was that her partner was male. The jealousy returned worse than ever, but Jordan didn't strike Maia. Suddenly, a film of white took over his vision and he watched in horror as his own hand extended to whip across Maia's face. Each time after he lost control, Jordan grew a little stronger, but each time he grew stronger, the whiteness behind his eyes grew more and more opaque. He knew Maia feared him. Their once-passionate kisses had become merely a way Maia tried to pacify Jordan. He knew that he should break up with his beloved girlfriend, but couldn't bring himself to. He was deluding himself, insisting internally that he would grow so strong that he would never lose control. Finally, one afternoon when Jordan had walked Maia home, she turned to him in her front yard. With a serious face, she told him that she could no longer see or go out on dates with him. The white film grew so thick that it took over his vision for a few horrific moments.

When he could see again, Jordan's heart sank as he saw Maia on the ground, staring up at him with that terribly mixture of fear and resignation in her eyes. Just as he began to agree that seeing each other probably wasn't in either of their best interests, she sprung up and sprinted to her front door, locking herself in the safety of her home. Jordan dropped to his knees in the yard, staring at his hands. What evil creature possessed him in those moments?

Mere days later, Jordan was walking home when he spotted Maia in the park he was walking past. She was kissing another person deeply, her science project partner. The white film began to creep out from the corners of his eyes, but Jordan managed to concentrate enough to stop the _other_ from taking over. He stayed to make sure that things didn't go too far between Maia and the other guy, hiding behind a nearby fence. However, when Maia was on her way home, darkness fell. Without warning, the whiteness came back, worse than ever. It didn't creep this time, it sprang out. Jordan couldn't see or hear a thing. After a moment or two, his hearing came back, and he heard screaming. _Was that Maia? _Jordan attempted to see past the white veil, but couldn't. The _other _grabbed hold of Jordan's voice-box. In horror, Jordan heard himself whisper demonically, "You're mine now. You'll always be mine." Hearing was lost to him once more, and for a long while, Jordan was adrift in the sea of his own infiltrated mind. When he was in possession of himself again, Jordan was standing in front of his house. A split second later, his adoptive mother had come out of the front door.

After Jordan had confessed everything to the woman, she paled and went to wake her husband. There were strict laws against biting a human, laws that could mean death to any who disobeyed them. The family fled, and Jordan was forced to simply wonder what had happened to his beloved, and if he would ever get to see her again. In the current time, Jordan's pupils widened slightly. He could see Maia from where he lounged against a wall. He had already exceeded his own expectations, and he hadn't even spoken to Maia yet. A growl slipped between his clenched teeth as he spotted Maia, _his _Maia, walking along, and talking to the thing she had been hanging around with as of late.

Jordan would soon put a stop to that.


	2. First Rights Chapter Two

**First Rights Chapter Two **

_Disclaimer:_ I do not own the Mortal Instruments Series.

Maia Roberts was thrilled. She was finally spending time with Simon without that other girl, Isabelle, hanging around too. It was nice to be able to talk and smile at Simon without being the recipient of Isabelle's evil glares. Really, Simon might be attracted to her beauty, but he and Maia got along much better, and on a personal level, too. Besides, Isabelle should back off since Simon would likely be hers eventually. Despite what either Simon or Maia wanted, they could only fight off the hatred between their species for so long. Once that hatred kicked in, it would be impossible to talk to each other, let alone for them to spend time together. But tomorrow's problems would take care of themselves, and Maia immersed herself in the current time, enjoying herself while she still could. She and Simon were both smiling, deep in their conversation about archery (a constant subject between them) as they walked to Simon's home. It was a little unorthodox for the girl to be walking the boy to his house, but all in the name of equality, yeah?

Maia tried to concentrate on what Simon was saying, but she found herself continually distracted by sounds from behind them. She could almost swear that there was someone following them, and yet her sharp eyes found no one. She tried to ignore it, but heard what sounded like growling a few times. Maia put it out of her mind, convincing herself that the sounds could be coming from a neighborhood dog with a bone or something. Before she knew it, they were standing in front of Simon's door and Maia had totally lost the string of conversation. Simon was staring at her, something strange in his eyes. She braced herself: the hatred could get the best of either of them at any time, and she had to be ready when it did.

Instead, to her shock, Simon stepped forward, putting them even closer. Behind them, a subsonic sound grew steadily louder: the growling? Simon looked awkward, nervous. Haltingly, he said, "Maia, you know - I had a - _thing _for Clary, right?" He didn't look up to catch her nod, but instead went on, staring at the ground. "Well, after she and Jace - anyway, I never thought I would feel that way about anyone again. I mean, Isabelle is pretty, but I don't... I don't think she likes _me_. I think she just likes the idea of having a boyfriend. Once, that - that would have been enough for me, but now..." Simon took a breath, then looked up, the intensity in his eyes shocking. "Maia, I like _you._ I like the way you spend time with me simply to spend time with me, not to have people see us together. With Isabelle... Well, this isn't about her. What I wanted to ask was, would-" he swallowed "-would you consider being my girlfriend?"

* * *

Jordan's breath caught in his throat. He had waited patiently for Maia to get out of the company of that thing, following them from a discreet distance. He had taken it as a sign of hope that Maia continued to look behind her as they strolled along. Maybe she hadn't given up everything they had shared. However, as things were now? It wasn't enough that this thing had the guts to spend time with Jordan's... with Maia, he was going to try to keep them even more together, to tie himself to her? To make her his and accept her claim on him? To take Jordan's spot in Maia's life? He waited, for what he didn't know. The growling Jordan hadn't realized that he was doing grew louder. His heart seemed to stutter as Maia nodded, accepting the thing's request. He realized that he had been waiting for Maia to reject the one she called Simon, to tell him that she was already taken. But she hadn't. Maybe she didn't remember him any more, didn't remember the time they had spent together, the memories he had thought they had shared. The beast rose up like a roar in his throat. He would make her remember.

The fog rose in his vision, and for the first time, Jordan welcomed the _other. _He leapt out of the darkness.

* * *

Maia nodded, filled with happiness. Simon did care for her! He moved as if to get even closer, whether to hug or kiss Maia, she didn't know, but he never got to finish the action. All of a sudden, the pair heard an awful yell, a combination of an anguished shout and a war cry. A split second later, something flew toward them. At first, it looked like the shape of a large canine, a wolf. Maia's mind flashed back to that horrible night so long ago. In that strange way that minds have, the shapes matched up. That, combined with the sick feeling in the bottom of her stomach, forced Maia to swallow a scream as she realized Jordan had come to find her. He landed on the ground in between Maia and Simon. Maia shouted for Simon to leave and tried to run, but Jordan grabbed her wrists with one hand and the nape of her neck with the other. Maia stopped for a moment to study her nightmare.

Jordan had changed since the last time Maia had seen him. He still wore jeans and long sleeved tee shirts, as did every lycanthrope, but his hair was different now. Instead of merely hanging down in its amazing, dark perfection, it was trimmed into an emo style, the back shaved slightly shorter and spiked, the ends tinted a light blue. Jordan's body was different now as well, longer and leaner than it had been when they were younger. His muscles were apparent under the shirt, but they were sleek and subtle, gained from use, not bulky muscle from lifting weights. She brought her gaze up to meet his, but soon wished she hadn't. His bright blue gaze never left Maia's face as he kicked behind him, nailing the approaching Simon in the stomach. As Simon was thrown against the wall, stunned, Jordan released Maia's neck and grasped her chin, forcing her to look him in the eyes. Slowly and distinctly, with mocking grin upon his face, Jordan said in a voice that was darker and smoother than she remembered it being, "I, Jordan Ripley, claim First Rights upon Maia Roberts."

She gaped. First Rights? That was an ancient practice, one that no person in their right mind would even think about using today. Except Jordan had, he had used them, and would be supported by the Lycan government. First Rights gave the person who infected another person and turned them into a werewolf the right to claim the person they had turned. This claiming was supposed to be used as time to introduce the person to the world that they would be living in from then on, but was (disgustingly) more commonly used as an opportunity for inappropriate behavior. As Maia saw it, both 'options' would force her to spend time with Jordan and both were unacceptable. He had forced her hand... but wasn't he too late? Smirking, Maia jerked her wrists and chin out of Jordan's grip. "You're too late, asshole. First Rights can only be claimed within the first year after I've been turned. It's been far longer than one year."

Jordan looked at her, the grin still upon his face. "I'm sorry to take your hope away, dearest, but that rule only applies if you're eighteen or older when you're turned. Since you were underage when it happened, I can claim First Rights at any time until five years after you were first infected. To the best of my calculations, it's been a mere three years since you were turned, I can claim First Rights with plenty of extra time. I'm pleased to inform you that you're stuck with me for as long as it takes me to introduce you to the lycanthrope world."

Maia punched him in the middle of his chest as hard as she could. "You son of a bitch, I'm already introduced to the lycanthrope world, and I managed it without you! I'm not going to accept your 'help', so just go away and pretend you never saw me! Simon, would you mind if I spend the night here tonight?" There was no answer, and Maia glanced around, seeing no one. "Simon?"

His face now devoid of his earlier smirk, Jordan said, "He left at the very beginning of our disagreement. I'm afraid you agreed to go out with a coward. Another thing that will have to stop while I'm helping you grow used to being a werewolf." Sensing another tirade coming his way, Jordan simply held up a hand. "I know, you think you're used to it, but are you really? Are you comfortable with your other half, the one that will be with you for as long as you live? They say hope springs eternal, but we can't let it in this case. There is no hope of being cured. Ever. Understood? And no matter how you think I slighted you by turning you, we're going to be spending a great deal of time together, so I suggest you get used to the idea."

Curling her lip in Jordan's direction, Maia spat out, "I don't care what you _or _those idiots on the Council say, I'm not spending that much time with you. I can prove that I'm acquainted with the lycanthrope world, and you and I will not be engaging in any inappropriate behavior, so there is no point for you claiming First Rights. As far as I'm concerned, you will never be a mentor, a friend, or anything more to me. The only thing you are to me is some asshole who cursed me to live the same demented, horrific, unnatural life that he is forced to do. You are nothing more. _I wish I had never met you_."

Jordan's face hardened. "The Council rules all. If you refuse to acknowledge my claim, they will execute you. And also, Maia, you assume far too much. You assume that I would _want _to be a mentor to you, or a friend, or anything more. You have forgotten the main idea behind the First Right clause. The Council hates all of us lycanthropes who were made, not born, and First Rights were created as a thinning technique." When Maia still didn't understand, Jordan leaned forward, using the invasion of her space as yet another insult. "I wanted to spend enough time with you that you would accept my apology and perhaps we could even become friends of a sort. However, now that you have informed me of how you truly feel about me, and emphasized that we have no hope of a future together in any capacity... How are you so sure, my darling Maia, that I don't want to take the most common route and eliminate you?"

_Author's note: _I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far, and I want to explain something. The Mortal Instrument book _City of Ashes_ has some inconsistencies where Maia's age is concerned. I took advantage of that when saying how many years it has been since Maia was turned. I'm not really sure about this series. I'm going to continue it for a while, no threats if people don't review, but if you have thoughts on the series, I would love to hear them!


	3. First Rights Chapter Three

**First Rights Chapter** **Three**

_Disclaimer: _I do not own the Mortal Instruments Series.

Maia gaped up at Jordan. Eliminate? Kill her? Why would he want to kill her? Would he really make up this elaborate scheme to catch her and then kill her just because she wouldn't do what he wanted? Maia flashed back on their short and violent relationship. _Oh, yeah._ Jordan was a dominating asshole. If he didn't get what he wanted, he would do as he threatened. She clenched her jaw. She survived her brother, she survived Jordan's abuse, she had survived becoming a werewolf, and she _would _survive this. She hated Jordan with a fiery passion (even when she was in her other form interestingly), but she wouldn't give up her life simply because she didn't want to spend a little time with him.

Maia sighed and looked Jordan in the smug eyes. "Fine. You can claim First Rights, and I'll accept. Who knows, I might actually learn something I didn't know before. But let's get something clear: You cannot use this as an excuse to kidnap me. I am going to spend time with people other than you. I will talk to other people. And the most important thing? If you try anything inappropriate, I will rip your best friend there to shreds, and when you stop screaming and vomiting, you can kill me. We can never have what we once did. Are all of the above conditions understood and accepted?" _Like he has a choice._

Jordan's face was blank and his eyes were cold as he considered what she had said. Maia watched him, striving for an impassive face. If he said no to what she had said, she really couldn't say anything. She would be forced to go along with him. However, if he accepted the conditions, it would show that he didn't make the mistake of thinking she was the same girl she had been all that time ago when they were dating. She was tougher now, and harsher than she had ever wanted to be. Whatever the outcome, what Jordan said would show what he thought, and would tell what the balance of power would be.

An odd look still in his eyes, Jordan smiled. "First off, I can teach you a lot that you didn't know before." Maia's face turned red as Jordan went on. "Secondly, I was never interested in kidnapping you. If I was, all of this would be a lot easier. As it is, I'm going the legal route and giving you a choice. Third, of course you'll be spending time with people other than me. I wouldn't be a very good mentor if I didn't meet all of your friends and decide whether they're assets or not. And as to talking to others... like I said, I'm not kidnapping you. You can keep your cell phone and my home phone will always be available for your use." She gaped and tried to say something, but Jordan simply raised his voice and continued. "And finally, rape is not to my taste. I will not do anything inappropriate. Unless, of course, you beg for it." A _look _came into his eyes. "And we both know it's simply a matter of time, but I digress. I will not force you to do anything that isn't directly tied to your well-being as part of the lycanthrope community. That is why you will be able to sleep soundly next to me in our bed."

Maia didn't like the sound of 'anything that isn't directly tied to your well-being as a lycanthrope part', but she was more focused on Jordan's references that they would be living together. "_Hell, _no-" Maia broke off suddenly. One, they were still standing on Simon's front porch. Also, she didn't want to push Jordan over the edge. If she did, none of their agreed-upon terms would mean anything. Gazing at the sky and begging for the right words, she said, "Jordan, I don't think that's for the best. Really, I should continue staying at my place, and you should keep staying at yours."

She thought that she had sounded very professional and controlled, but Jordan had been shaking his head before she had even finished. "No, I don't think that's a good idea. When I knew you before, I could trust that you wouldn't try to run, that you would stay here with me. If you were the same as you were then, I would be able to trust you, and I would agree to letting you stay at your house. But now... you're a different person, Maia, you've changed so much. I don't really know you, I can't anticipate what you're going to do. So, I've got to cover all of my bases and keep an eye on you. We'll both be staying at my house."

And she had thought that Jordan thinking of her as a different person would be a good thing? Argh. Now he didn't trust her. Rightly so, but still, a girl could be exasperated. And since she had been so firm and decisive earlier, there was no going back and pretending that she was still the same. Abruptly, she switched tactics. Lowering her gaze, Maia allowed her lashes to cover her eyes. She made her voice softer, quavery as though she was unsure of herself. "Jordan, I don't know if I can stay with you. I don't really know you any more. Besides, I don't know if I could function with another person being around all of the time." There, let him think she was shy. Time for part two. "But there's another thing. My parents raised me to believe that living with each other outside of marriage is wrong. Can you possibly understand?" Maia kept her eyes on the ground, holding her breath and waiting for Jordan's response.

After being greeted with a second or two of silence, she heard an odd sputtering sound, like someone had smothered a laugh. Suspiciously, she looked up through her eyelashes and caught Jordan trying to straighten his face again. She resumed looking at the ground when he began to speak. Contrary to his earlier laughter, he sounded sincere and conceding. "Fine, Maia, I understand. We'll be married by tonight, then you can move in without any moral qualms."

Maia looked up so fast that she heard her neck pop. Rubbing it with one hand, she narrowed her eyes at Jordan. "That's not what I meant, and you know it."

He burst out laughing. "Maia, you may have changed a great deal since we last spent time together, but there's no way you've changed that much. Yeah, your parents tried to raise you to believe that, but you wouldn't listen. It upset them a lot, and they talked about it constantly." At her questioning look, he shrugged. "They talked about it in their room when I was at your house to distract you. By the way, good move in running away from there. I can tell you from experience that having exceptional hearing in a house with sexually active parents is not fun."

Maia grimaced, and fought a smile when Jordan laughed again. Why did she still respond to his happiness? If anything, him being happy should make her depressed. That depression quickly came to her when Jordan went on. "So, anyway, you'll move into my house with me tonight. Well, not a house. I purchased a very nice apartment just for the occasion of being your..." he trailed off and waggled his eyebrows suggestively. Maia glared, and he laughed again. "Your mentor." He glanced around. "We need to get away from here. You can call your friend later. We'll go to your place, grab any stuff you need, and head back to the apartment."

Suddenly, Maia had to fight an evil grin. Here was something she could finally fight Jordan on, and it really was out of her control. "I'm sorry, Jordan, but the pack I'm in now is extremely secretive. They won't want you to see where they live, where I live. Why don't you let me call my packmaster? He can give me a ride to my place, help me pack up my stuff, and then he can drive me back to your apartment?"

Jordan thought for a moment, then nodded. He held his phone out to her. She took it, getting ready to turn around for some semblance of privacy when she heard Jordan say, "You don't need to type in the number, Luke is number two on the speed dial." Maia whipped around, staring unashamedly. Jordan smirked and shrugged. "Luke is one of my best friends. He used to volunteer at the orphanage I lived at. He was the one who first recognized my symptoms and told me what I was. We've stayed in touch ever since." He waved his hand at her. "Go on, call him. I know almost every member of your pack on a personal level, but if you think they wouldn't want me to see their homes..."

Chuckling to himself, Jordan walked over to Maia and plucked the phone from her hand with his long, graceful fingers. He pressed a few buttons, and held the phone up to his ear, grasping Maia's hand with his other one. Maia jerked her hand out of his and gave him a withering glance, but Jordan ignored her, holding her wrist easily despite her struggles. "Yeah. Hi, Luke, it's Jordan. Yes, it has been a while since we've talked. No, I haven't changed my mind about that, and in fact, Maia's right here." Maia's eyes filled with tears as she realized that Luke had known what Jordan was going to do. In a gesture that still managed to be manly, Jordan balanced the phone between his ear and his shoulder and stroked Maia's cheek. She slapped his hand away. Half a second later, both of her wrists were in one of Jordan's hands and he was petting her cheek again. She jerked her face away. With a frown, Jordan gave up and continued his talk with Luke, arranging for Luke to meet them on a nearby corner in a few minutes.

When Jordan had snapped the phone shut and put it away, he turned to Maia. "Why are you crying, love?"

Maia mustered an evil glare, difficult with the tears still in her eyes. "Why do you think?" She snapped. "My packmaster, one of the few guys I've ever trusted in my life, betrayed me. He allowed you to get close to me, he didn't warn me or anything, and you're acting like it's no big deal! I have to spend who knows how long with someone who's been starring in my nightmares for years, and I just want my life back. Plus, now I'm crying and I can't wipe my eyes or nose because someone has my wrists in his freakishly strong grip! How much do I have to go through until crying is okay?"

All right, toward the end of her monologue, she had been getting a teensy bit hysterical, but he didn't need to have that little smile playing around his mouth. Jordan had been insulted at the beginning, when she had talked about Luke being one of the few guys she trusted, and had looked pained when she told him that she had nightmares about him, but about the time when she said 'freakishly strong grip', she had lost him. Now, instead of doing what she needed him to do and letting go of her hands, Jordan produce a handkerchief and gently wiped her eyes and nose. Then, silently, he pulled her against him, cuddling her closer with his free arm.

With a surge of temper, Maia struggled against him, but Jordan only crushed her closer. Opening her mouth as wide as she could, Maia bit him on the chest - the part of him that her face was squashed against. He made a sound, and loosened his hold on her. Maia stepped back and glanced up at his face. Jordan's eyes held heat, an unexpected reaction. Softly, in an amused voice, Jordan said, "Biting is foreplay, and I'll be all too willing to dub foreplay a form of begging."

In a moment, his meaning sank in. Maia stretched her arms to their greatest capacity, twisted, and began to spit out the taste of Jordan's tee shirt. Jordan laughed and released Maia's wrists, but laid a heavy arm across her shoulders and began to walk them to the corner where Luke would come pick them up.


	4. First Rights Chapter Four

**First Rights Chapter Four**

_Disclaimer: _I do not own the Mortal Instruments Series.

Luke's familiar truck pulled up to the curb where Maia stood (unwillingly) pressed against Jordan. She moved to get into the front seat, but Jordan held her back. When she glanced up at him, confused, he said, "What, did you think I was going to ride in the back? I'll get in first and you can sit on my lap."

Maia glared, but couldn't help thinking that the seats in Luke's truck were two single seats instead of a bench seat. Sulkily, she let Jordan get in first, then slammed the door for him, and climbed into the bed of the truck. She had decided in a split second that she would rather be out in the damp, chilly night air of New York City than be inside the toasty truck talking to two of the three men who had pissed her off within the past few hours. The third being Simon, of course. Idly, she wondered what had happened to Simon. She hoped he hadn't been hurt, but a small, hateful part of her thought he deserved to be injured for leaving her alone with an obviously hostile werewolf.

Maia turned toward the driver's side half of the truck bed (if that makes any sense), scanned the floor for any debris, and was about to sit down when the back of the collar of her coat was grabbed. Stifling a shriek, Maia did her best to twist to see who had grabbed her. It was Jordan, of course. She hadn't heard him get out of the truck, but there he was, standing on the street with a murderous look in his eyes. Looking like it was nothing at all, Jordan lifted her from the truck bed, held her off the ground while he got into the truck, then put her on his lap and shut the door. His arms snaked around her, holding her firm, and just _happening_ to pin her arms. This was a pity since Maia had been about to elbow Jordan in the face.

Unable to help herself, Maia struggled a bit, but Jordan was stronger than anyone Maia had ever met before in her life. Sighing, she settled in. Making sure the annoyance was evident in her voice, Maia asked, "Was that really necessary? I would have been fine riding back there."

Jordan chuckled to himself. "We'll just call that revenge for what you did earlier." Maia was confused, and Jordan could apparently hear it in the silence, since he soon followed up with, "Remember when you threw a tantrum because I wanted to hold your hand? Yes, this is me, getting even." Maia rolled her eyes. Jordan's voice turned steely. "And also, I never gave you permission to sit in the back. I said you will be sitting on my lap, and sitting on my lap you are. We'll have to deal with your insubordination later."

Maia gaped and Luke sighed, calling attention to himself for the first time. "Jordan," he said in one of his favorite tones: exasperated, "You're not really going to do this, are you?"

Jordan grinned, Maia could see the reflection of his teeth on the inside of the windshield. "Yep. If you're going to do something like this, you've got to do it all the way."

Furrowing her brow, Maia asked, "Am I the only one that doesn't know what's going on? What are you guys talking about?"

Luke released the steering wheel with one hand to run it through his hair. "Claiming First Rights isn't as rare as you would think. It's actually a common practice, but Jordan is doing the old-fashioned version. Old-fashioned as in, pre-seventeen hundreds version. The version Jordan is using is one that calls for complete domination, demands and punishments, no holding back. You're going to have to do whatever he asks, beside any pre-made arrangements." Maia relaxed a little bit at that, but was still tense. "For all purposes, you're going to be his pupil, but he's going to be your master. He can keep you for as long as he wants. It's a system that's fallen out of favor with the lycanthrope community."

Maia began struggling in earnest now. Jordan held on, but then released her slowly. When she finally got free, she turned around to look at his face. She struggled to keep her voice under a shriek, and tried to be controlled and dignified as she asked, "What is _wrong _with you?"

Jordan smirked. "Nothing at all. I've got a beautiful woman sitting on my lap, a woman who is coming to live at my home for a while. I think I'm not doing badly."

Maia squeezed her hands into fists. "I meant: what is wrong with you that you would need a slave in your life?"

"Maia, I know you. You, unfortunately for you, are an all-or-nothing type of person. This makes you very interesting as a friend or a girlfriend, but it also makes you impossible to teach. So I'm adapting to your learning style, helping you learn what you need to learn, using total surrender as my method." Jordan's voice had been frustratingly patronizing.

"And it helps that I can't refuse because you'll kill me, doesn't it?" Maia was using her calm voice again.

Jordan thought for a moment and nodded. "Yeah, that's usually a pretty good incentive. Besides, I've missed you, and this is probably going to be my only chance to spend some time with you."

Maia scoffed, and was opening her mouth to let loose a scathing remark when Luke said, "Jordan, we've been friends for a long time. I value you as a person, and I understand you claiming First Rights, but if you hurt or kill Maia, I and my pack will follow you to the ends of the earth to avenge her."

This made Maia feel pretty good for a while, but the feeling was soon killed when she remembered the man she had put her trust in had betrayed her, basically. Turning back in Luke's direction, she said acidly, "Oh, what do you care? If you had just told me what was about to happen, or even that there was a man named Jordan asking about me, I would have been long gone by now."

Luke smiled sadly. "There are more advantages in this situation. This way, you had time to make some arrangements, you aren't totally at his mercy, you can go often to visit your friends. And besides, since Jordan is technically in the right about this, as the nearest pack, we would have been required to assist Jordan in finding you, and I know about all of your hideouts."

Again, the urge to cry rose up as Maia realized she would have been stuck with Jordan eventually no matter what had happened. The sense of hopelessness rose up, threatening to overwhelm her, but Maia managed to turn the feeling to anger. She sat there, forced to be on Jordan's lap, shaking with the force of the anger that stormed inside of her. Thankfully, both of the guys were silent, or she would have cheerfully smacked each of them. Maia had successfully kept herself from becoming a pile of disgusting weakness, but what would she have to do now? The anger was threatening her human form, small darker hairs began to sprout on her hands and lower arms. Closing her eyes, Maia took a deep breath and immersed herself in that anger, squeezing small amounts of it into spheres, saving that anger until later. Whether this physically or emotionally affected her, the exercise calmed Maia. When she opened her eyes again, they were pulling up to the old police building that the werewolves called home.

As they walked into the building, they descended to the levels of cells. Almost all of the ones on the upper levels had large swaths of cloth hanging just inside the bars on all four sides, making the occupants feel more at home, and less like they were actually in prison. Small, enclosed places could sometimes initiate the change. Small lamps were used instead of the harsh electrical lights that were still in the ceilings. Beds had been moved in, the Spartan bunks torn out. Partitions had been set around the toilets. The showers stayed the large, open rooms they had been when the building still held criminals: werewolves tended to be rather bold about their bodies.

The group continued walking down the levels: homey areas became less and less common. Finally, they came to the cell where Maia kept her things. Years of living with an abusive brother had taught Maia to keep from becoming attached to her possessions, and running away had required her to leave almost all of the things that she had once had. Therefore, her cell was nearly bare. No colorful or lovingly woven blankets hung from the bars, the bed was a bare mattress on the floor with a ratty gray sleeping bag on top of it. The pillow was a cheap one from a superstore, no pillowcase on it. There was no lamp, Maia used the lights on the ceiling. The only decorations Maia kept were odd pieces of nature: a strange looking seashell, a twisted root, a complex rock, and so on. These lay on a small wooden plank that Luke had kindly placed on the wall after he saw her treasures laying on the floor.

One of the women who lived on an upper level had come down to talk to Maia once, and had seen the state of her room. The woman had wanted to alert the other, motherly types who would make Maia blankets for the walls, sheets and blankets for the bed, buy her furniture for the room, and otherwise make Maia's life overly complicated. Maia had politely turned her down, but the woman had a condition: Maia must let the woman give her one thing to decorate her room. She agreed, and a few days later, the woman had shown up, shooed Maia out of the way, and begun to hang a large piece of cloth from the ceiling. Maia had shook her head and walked away.

When she had returned to her cell hours later, she gasped at the difference. Large sections of purple, white, and black cloth lay draped from the ceiling, casting sections of muted light, purple light, and shadows alternating all over the room. The newness was startling, and she had thanked the woman heartily, though still declining any further transformations. As the group entered the room, Maia tried to ignore Jordan's reaction, but she couldn't help but to sneak a look. He looked appreciatively at the lights, but she could feel an air of dissatisfaction around him, as if he were upset that she had never really settled into this place. Did he think she was an outcast? She was an one from this community by choice, though she wasn't much of an outcast anymore...

"Maia?" A voice asked, just outside of her cell. It was a familiar voice, and it belonged to a male. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jordan stiffen. Maia turned toward the doorway just as a figure came into view.

Caelin.

He had been slowly and silently attaching himself to her ever since she had first joined the NYC pack. Since she was still shell-shocked by what had happened with Jordan, she hadn't welcomed the attention, even moving down four levels from everyone else to avoid him. It hadn't worked, obviously. He had moved down there, too, a level above her space so that she wouldn't feel threatened. Caelin was one of the few werewolves who were attending collage, and the only one going for something as mental and emotionally based as psychology. Therefore, using that major in his battle to wear down her defenses, Caelin was now almost a friend, but in situations like these, he really wasn't the help she wanted or needed.

* * *

Jordan was not happy. He had been rejected by his female twice since he had thought they worked things out. She lived far away from everyone in the place that she called home. In this lonely place, she lived in a cell that probably looked worse than it had when it had held rapists and murderers, except for the cloth covering the ceiling and the lights, and he suspected this wasn't her doing. And now, to top it all off, another man was coming to see Maia, another man who knew her well enough to call her by her first name and inquire about her well-being. The worst part? It was that Maia had looked joyful to see him. Apparently, this other werewolf was a friend, which meant Jordan probably shouldn't destroy the man if he wanted to win over his female.

However, as the other male came into view, Jordan didn't know if he could afford to let this other werewolf live. The male had blonde hair that brushed his chin, strands clinging to the blonde stubble. The man's face was lean, but it lacked the angular bone structure that made up Jordan's face. Darker blonde eyebrows set just above the man's eyes, eyes a strange color such a light brown that it was striped with yellow. Those eyes were trained on Maia as he walked closer, slinking like a cat. Jordan felt miffed that the man had ignored him as a threat in this room.

The man reached Maia and lightly grasped her upper arms. "Maia, are you all right? I heard a rumor, a most horrible rumor, that some idiot..." He trailed off and looked at Luke.

"Caelin, it's true. Jordan has claimed First Rights on Maia-" Luke stopped, letting the information soak in.

The man named Caelin swung around to glare at Jordan, who was pissed to see Maia's hand snake around Caelin's arm in an effort to hold him back from Jordan. Did she think that he couldn't defend his woman? An evil, intent look in Caelin's yellow eyes was the only warning Jordan had before Caelin lunged forward to attack him.


	5. First Rights Chapter Five

**First Rights Chapter Five**

_Disclaimer: _I do not own the Mortal Instruments Series.

Jordan growled and braced his feet against the floor, ready to stand firm and meet Caelin's attack head-on. But it never came. Luke, not tolerating the idea of them fighting, had caught Caelin around the waist and hauled him backwards. Meanwhile, Maia had tackled Jordan, knocking him to the ground. Jordan lay there on the floor staring up into Maia's rich brown eyes, startlingly close. A second after the shock came pleasure. They were lying with her on top of him, their bodies pressed together. A split second after the pleasure came anger. Why had she knocked him down? She obviously cared more for Caelin than for him. Inside, Jordan raged, but present a calm, amiable facade to Maia.

He reached up to run his finger along one of her cheekbones. "Maia, love, I have to admit that I like this position, but it's not appropriate with your packmaster present. What would say to trying it out at a different time? Soon, preferably." Maia snorted and got up, allowing Jordan to rise. When he did, he wrapped an arm around Maia's shoulders and turned them to face Luke and the still-struggling Caelin, who glowered at Jordan fiercely.

"Maia," he spat out, still panting from his encounter with Luke, "You aren't seriously going to go live with that- that _person_." The word 'person' was said with the utmost disgust and yet was said hesitantly, like Caelin wasn't sure that this was the correct term for Jordan.

She looked at him sadly just before removing herself from under Jordan's arm. "I have to, Caelin. He claimed First Rights, and I don't want to be killed just because I don't want to spend time with him. Besides, it's only for a little while, right?" Maia's voice quavered a little at the end, though she hid the sadness well. She was trying to be strong for Caelin. Jordan thought to himself that she shouldn't be counting on her stay with him being only for a little while. He might keep her forever. He had been planning this anyway, but spiting this irritating oaf would be another added benefit.

Jordan hugged her to him again. She pushed him away, but it took her just a little bit longer this time. Jordan knew from experience that the best way to wear someone down was repitition, and constant touching was necessary to almost any werewolf. It would figure that Maia would be one of those who didn't need contact, but already she was lowering her defenses against him.

Without warning, Caelin jumped again to attack Jordan. Luke, the ever-powerful packmaster, blasted them both. Jordan took advantage of the time it took for his body to work through the pain and work again to think over why exactly werewolves joined packs. When a person changed their shape, the transformation came with a certain amount of pain. When werewolves joined packs, it was as if everyone in the pack shared the pain of a single transformation, the agony split up among them. To be a packmaster, the person had to be strong enough to channel the pain, or else they would be turned inside out. Literally.

Jordan was one of those rare ones that didn't join packs. He could handle the pain on his own, and had been doing so for a long time. However, another ability of a packmaster was to suddenly and at their own discretion, inflict all of the pain the werewolves in their pack didn't feel. Luke had shot a direct stream of pure agony into Jordan and Caelin, effectively stopping them in their tracks.

Both fell to the floor, panting. Jordan noted with glee that Caelin seemed to be in way worse shape. The other lycanthrope was looking a little pale and was swallowing convulsively. Jordan was feeling a headache coming on in a major way, but years of dealing with his own pain had helped him to grow used to discomfort. Albeit, it wasn't every month that he received a jolt of pain strong enough to account for three werewolves' change, but at least he didn't feel and look ready to hurl. Jordan fought his way to his feet and stood as steadily as he could. Luke shot him a warning look and in response, Jordan gave him a 'who, me' type one. Caelin had to be helped to his feet by Maia. Once again, this caused mixed emotions in Jordan: on the one hand, it was good that he had gotten up before Caelin had, and Caelin had to have help. On the other hand, Maia should have been by Jordan's side, worrying about him and trying to help him.

Turning back toward Luke, Jordan faked a scowl. "Luke, I know you don't want me to take Maia with me, but could you please control your little wolf here long enough for my future mate to pack her things and leave?" Luke glared at Jordan, silently telling him that his comments weren't helping the situation at all. Jordan grinned and clapped Luke on the back. "Just kidding, buddy. That was a pretty bad ass packmaster thing you did to me and that douche over there earlier. It's obvious you're doing your job." Luke's glare turned into a glower, and Jordan could tell that his friend really was getting pissed off.

Quickly, he helped Maia (who wasn't looking too happy with him either) grab her pillow and sleeping bag, then the two left.

* * *

Maia was not happy.

Jordan had acted possessive and controlling. Luke had been the one to tell her that her maker's version of First Rights wasn't going to be fun, and wasn't normal by anyone's standards. Caelin had looked so incredibly hurt when he had found out that Maia was going with this guy. Last but not least, Jordan had called her his future mate. Sure, it had sounded as if he was joking, but the casual way he had said it helped Maia to realized that this was his eventual plan with her. Right now, they were riding in the back of a taxi. Jordan had mumbled something about how they shouldn't push Luke any more tonight. She had merely rolled her eyes. Already, he was getting her in trouble with her pack. Maia hadn't missed the disgusted look he had cast at her sleeping bag and pillow. She didn't like it, but she could understand: the things were rather old and ratty, bought when she was first accepted into the New York City pack.

One thing that Maia didn't understand was why Jordan had let her bring her sleeping bag along. Not that she regretted this. If he had his way, she would soon be sleeping in his bed with him. Knowing him, he probably had some secret plot or hidden plans. She had to stifle the urge to roll her eyes again. From across the seat, Maia could feel Jordan's hand grasp hers. The way that things were piled in the back of the cab with them (Luke had given them a few extra things to take along), she couldn't move her hand without risking something falling, and Jordan knew it. Maia gritted her teeth and tensed the muscles in her hand, making sure he knew she didn't like him touching her. A half a second later, she could practically feel him grinning.

"So, Maia, are you excited to be living somewhere new after all this time?" Jordan asked. Maia furrowed her eyebrows. _Well that was a stupid question. I already made it pretty clear that I don't want to be living with him. _Through a gap in the stuff, Maia could see Jordan's face, which had a look on it like 'what did I just say'. She fought a smile as he looked at the ceiling, muttering his question to himself, then saying, "What, am I stupid?" Then, out loud, he said, "What I meant to say was that I'm glad you did come along."

Maia giggled silently for a second, then made her voice as flat as she could. "Jordan, the last day has been damn near traumatic. I haven't slept in nearly twenty four hours, you showed up, my would-be boyfriend took off, and then you chose to fight with one of my best friends in the pack. I can't take much more, and I just needed to get somewhere away from there. Don't read more into it than there is."

Jordan scoffed, not seeming to pay attention to anything other than the 'best friend in the pack' statement. "Caelin attacked me, not the other way around. Besides, I hate to have to tell you this, but that guy doesn't want to be your friend, he wants to get in your pants."

"At least he just wants to get in my pants, then. It could be worse. He could want to forcibly take over my life, attempting to make every detail his business. Just for example."

"Ha, ha," Jordan said sarcastically. "At least I'm not some stupid, psycho asshole who was going to-" He was interrupted as the cab driver told them that they were at their destination and to pay him and get the hell out of his cab. Jordan impatiently shoved a hundred dollar bill in the man's hand, told him to keep the change, and grabbed most of what lay in the back seat.

Maia glared at him when they got out of the taxi. "What? What was Caelin going to do? Other than try to get in my pants, that is." Jordan merely shook his head, and gestured behind her. Maia turned around and gasped. They were in a very upscale part of the city. "You rented an apartment here?"

"Yup, and the sun's coming up, so we might want to get inside before everyone comes out here on their way to work. Hmm," he pretended to think about it. "Actually, let's stay out here for a little bit. That way, people will see that you're mine, and we won't have to go through any more Simons or Caelins."

Grinning, Maia said, "Then I guess we had better get insi-" she broke off with a look of panic on her face. "Simon! I totally forgot about him! We have to go upstairs right away so I can call him. He'll be so worried!"

Jordan rubbed a hand over his stubbly jaw. "I don't think you have to worry about that."

"What are you talking about! Of course he'll be worried about me. Come on, let's go." Maia pulled at his arm desperately.

"Mmm," said a new voice. "He's yummy."

Maia knew that voice, though just barely. It was enough to make her whip around to see the owner of the voice: Magnus Bane. Beside him was Alec (looking a little disgruntled at his boyfriend calling someone else yummy), and behind that pair were Jace and Clary. Simon burst out from somewhere in the back of the crowd, running toward Maia. Jordan intercepted him before he could reach her, and Simon hissed at Jordan, baring his fangs. Maia had never seen him act so vampiric, but Jordan merely laid a hand on the center of Simon's chest, and leaned in. "Do you really think this is the time and place to discuss this? I have an apartment in this building. Let's go up and talk there, okay?"

Simon looked as if he was going to fight Jordan, but subsided. He nodded, almost imperceptibly, and Jordan removed his hand. They all started to move toward the building.

All Maia had to say was that it was an extremely awkward elevator ride.


	6. First Rights Chapter Six

**First Rights Chapter Six**

_Disclaimer: _I do not own the Mortal Instruments Series.

_Side Note: _I apologize for being a few days late on this chapter, I was out of town for the weekend and unable to access a computer.

After the elevator ride from hell was over, Jordan had let them into his new apartment. Maia stepped inside, gaping. The place was huge. It was on the top floor, and had ceilings arching upward like in a Gothic-style church. The picture windows started at about knee height and continued up past the top of even Magnus' head. There were no curtains to impede the amazing view. The floors alternated between dark carpet and buttery hardwood flooring. The walls were painted gold with hand-made textures on them. Pictures of New York City hung here and there, the frames seeming to be made of three materials braided together: one to match the wood floors, one to match the carpets, and a gold chain to bring out the paint color. It was a very nice apartment.

Maia figured that the apartment had come decorated that way, since Jordan had no sense of style. Jordan had obviously brought the furniture in himself though: the couches were old and huge, made of dark green leather, and they matched absolutely nothing else in the room. They were also very comfortable. The end tables were wooden with dark varnish, scarred from rough treatment and covered in rings where people had set drinks down without using coasters. Maia had to smile at the image of Jordan throwing a party, running around trying to convince people to use coasters. No part of the scenario seemed likely.

When they were through admiring the new apartment, Jordan had urged them all to sit down. There had been enough seats for everyone except Magnus and Alec, who had been the last ones to wander over. Jordan told them to hang on a second, walked through a doorway, and came out dragging a huge, bright blue beanbag chair. Maia giggled before she caught herself, trying to imagine why Jordan had anything in that color. She met eyes with Clary, who was also stifling a laugh. Clary and Maia had never gotten along well. At the time they had met, Maia had thought that Clary was leading Simon on, still keeping his hopes up while she was so obviously in love with Jace. Clary had seen Maia as the person who was going to take Simon away from her. At least if Isabelle had won Simon over, he would still have been around, but if he was with Maia, Clary wouldn't see him nearly as often.

Now, Clary was secure in her relationship with Jace, and Maia was stuck with Jordan, at least for a while. Nothing was turning out like either girl had expected, but somehow it was bringing them together in a sort of awkward friendship. For right now, though, the person they both envied in some fashion or another was standing in front of Maia, looking extremely pissed off. "What the hell happened to you? Was I ever going to hear from you again, or were you just going to let me wonder for the rest of my - however long I'm going to live?"

It was clear that Simon still wasn't comfortable being a vampire, with a vampire's lifespan. His voice had become unsure of himself when he talked about his lifespan, but had gotten demanding again toward the end of the question. Normally, this uncertainty would have softened Maia toward him, but she was so beyond pissed off right now. "What the hell happened to me? What the hell happened to _you_? The last time you saw me, I had just agreed to be your girlfriend. Then, an angry werewolf hops up on the porch and you just bolt. Obviously, your feelings don't run too deep!"

Isabelle laughed, and Maia jumped. She hadn't even seen that Isabelle was there. Bitterly, Isabelle spat out, "Did you hear that, Simon? The poor, defenseless, little werewolf girl needed you there to protect her from her big, bad maker. Some strong female you chose." Isabelle had apparently just found out that Simon asked Maia out, and something told Maia that Isabelle wouldn't be wishing them well any time soon.

Maia knew that she should control her temper, but she simply didn't have the inclination right then. "You know what? I don't need Simon to protect me, unlike others I could name." Deliberately, insultingly, Maia studied one fingertip, the nail of which had elongated into a slim and curving black claw. She heard Isabelle's gasp and smiled at her, knowing that her teeth had gotten longer and sharper. "And I'll assume from you butting in where you're clearly not wanted to mean that you want details. Simon told me that he cares for you, but you just like the idea of having a boyfriend more than you like him. You know, they had a word for that where I came from: Bitch. So from now on, I don't care what little immature barb you think you should throw to try to make me look bad. I can't look worse than you. From now on, I don't care to hear anything from you." Maia turned her claw on Simon. "And as for you, don't try to hold your false moral ground against me: you haven't got any. Also, don't you point fingers at me unless you want them pointed back at you... and my finger pointing can leave scars." Maia allowed the claw to shrink back into her finger, lightening and flattening until her normal fingernail was back again.

* * *

Jordan sighed and Jace grinned at him, obviously taking pleasure in the turmoil that was about to become Jordan's life. "You've got your work cut out for you with that one, cousin," he said with fake sympathy, nodding over at Maia. Jordan nodded in agreement, silently thanking Jace for the sympathy, fake or not. Of course, Jace didn't mean that they were really cousins, he was just using the term that had become the norm after all the supernatural types had become united. _Cousin _now mean another person who was part of their world.

Jordan glanced around the room, studying the reactions his future mate had caused. Jace looked amused, Clary looked concerned, Alec looked uncaring, Magnus looked absorbed in the drama, Simon looked guilty, and Isabelle looked outraged. Maia herself looked satified, as if she had said everything she had wanted to and everyone else could take it from there. He really did have a lot of work to do. First off, though, his mate had gotten a note of hurt in her voice when she had asked Simon where he had gone. He was going to get her the closure she needed so that she wouldn't want to ever see him again, and could move on in a relationship with Jordan.

Standing, Jordan walked until he was just in front of the spot Simon had finally sat in. "I believe Maia asked you a question. When I came to retrieve her, where did you go?"

Simon looked frightened for a second, but rallied and looked past him to Maia. "I had to leave. Raphael summoned me, and I don't have enough power yet to resist him. He summoned me, I was transported to his base, and he told me that under no circumstances was I to interfere in matters of the Lycae. I argued, but he said that Jordan was completely under the protection of the law, and I still wasn't able to interfere. There was nothing I could do; he's so much stronger than me. When he finally let me go, I got back to my house as quickly as I could, but you were already gone. I'm sorry for everything. I should have been strong enough to stay there and protect you."

Simon looked mournful, and Jordan thought Maia would give in, but his female merely crossed her arms and gave Simon a narrow look. "That explains a where you were while I was being 'claimed', but where were you later? I mean, why didn't you call me or something once you got home?"

Simon's face reddened, and Jordan leaned forward, knowing this was probably going to be something good. "Well," Simon began, "When I first became a vampire, Clary gave me this pamphlet about coming out to your parents, you know, in hope that I could use some of the strategies. Apparently, I didn't hide it well enough. When I got inside, my mom stopped me and held up the pamphlet, asking what it was and whether I had something I needed to tell her." Every male in the room (including Alec and Magnus) began to laugh uproariously just as every girl got an expression of sympathy on her face. Simon went on. "I explained to her that I had a gay friend that needed one of those pamphlets but didn't want to grab it for himself and all of that, but she didn't buy it. I just told her that something big is going on in my life and that I would have to explain it to her later."

The guys were still laughing at this point. Clary turned to Simon, looking pained. "I'm so sorry, Simon. If I had known this was going to happen, I never would have-"

She was cut off by Jace. "If _I _had known this was going to happen, I still would have done it, except I would have found a way to videotape it!" He dissolved into laughter again. Jordan saw Maia's lips twitch, but she managed to retain her serious and sympathetic face.

Simon rubbed his forehead. "It doesn't even matter. All that I want you to know is that I would have been there for you if it was possible in any way, Maia. I asked you to be my girlfriend, and I care deeply for you. I'm not going to abandon you just because some asshole," here he shot Jordan a dirty look, "wants you all to himself. I'll be here if you need me, no matter the threats. Always."

Maia looked like this excuse made her happy. Jordan growled. How would he ever be able to make this unpredictable female happy? He had thought allowing Simon the chance to explain himself would give Jordan the competitive edge, but it seemed to have had the exact opposite effect.

Backfire.


	7. First Rights Chapter Seven

**First Rights Chapter Seven**

_Disclaimer: _I do not own the Mortal Instruments Series.

In the silence that had filled the room, Jordan glanced at Maia. She glanced back at him, and he fought a smile. She was still aware of him. Nothing was completely lost. Also, when he was looking at Maia, he noted the dark circles under her eyes. A split second later, Maia yawned. Jordan was glad to see this, he now had an excuse to kick everyone out of his apartment. "All right," he said, rising out of his seat. "We've both been up all night, and we would like the opportunity to get to bed. If you all wouldn't mind..." Jordan ushered them all to the door. Everyone else had been feeling the awkward silence, because they all went obligingly to the door. As they all went down the hall to the elevator, Jordan heard Magnus say to Simon, "Don't be embarrassed, have pride in your sexuality! Speaking from this side, it's really not that bad." Then Magnus laughed and caught up with Alec. Jordan could see Simon's blush from where he was standing, even the back of his neck was bright red. It seemed that the vampire didn't exactly know how to take the gay warlock. Then again, who did, other than the young Shadowhunter Alec.

Jordan chuckled to himself as he turned and shut the door, closing himself and Maia inside. However, once he made his way back to the living room, he found Maia dead asleep, sprawled out on the couch where she had been sitting. It had been a rather exhausting day for her. Gently, Jordan picked her up, walking carefully to the bedroom. With his immense strength, he held Maia easily with one arm while he peeled the sheets and covers back from the bed, then rested Maia in the bed. He drew off her shoes, pulled up the covers, and left. While Maia was asleep, he had something more to do before he could join her.

* * *

Maia turned over, groaning, and stretched her arm out beside her in the bed. When her arm encountered nothing, she smiled. Apparently, Jordan hadn't trusted Maia enough to lie unconscious in bed next to her. Her eyes snapped open. Jordan. He had come to claim her the night before.

She sat up, starting slightly when she felt her hair tumble down her back and arms. Looking around, she confirmed that the room was empty. Where was Jordan? And why was she in a bed? She had brought her sleeping bag for a reason. Rising from the bed, Maia realized just how tired she had been. She had slept so soundly that she felt disoriented now that she was awake. Nevertheless, she got to the door and slipped out into the living room. No one was there either, but Maia gasped when she caught sight of the clock. She had slept for nearly twelve hours! Maia hadn't slept that long or that deeply since she had become a werewolf.

Searching every room carefully, Maia found that the apartment really was empty. She plopped down on the beanbag. Where could Jordan have gone? _Oh, it doesn't matter. He'll be back any second anyway._ This thought became frightening when Maia realized how she must look. Putting a hand to her hair, Maia felt the out-of-control curls standing out nearly four inches from her head. She laughed at the idea of Jordan seeing her like this. He would probably change his mind about wanting to claim her. As tempting as the idea was, Maia couldn't stand looking like this. Searching her memory, she found the room her things had been deposited in, gathered an outfit for the day, and retreated to the bathroom.

Maia rejoiced in the feeling of water moving through her hair, and shampooing her hair felt like heaven. She was applying conditioner when she suddenly tensed. The shower curtain was made of a type of opaque plastic. Maia couldn't really see anything in the bathroom clearly, but she could see some things. Like the shadow standing just on the other side of the curtain. _It's probably just Jordan, _Maia told herself. Standing on the other side of the curtain didn't seem like something Jordan would do. Instead, Maia kept picturing something she had seen on a television show about ghosts: a woman showering with a curtain just like this one, when she had seen a shadow. Then, hands had pressed against the curtain, trying to touch the woman. She had cowered, screaming and managing to evade the hands.

Just because she was now a werewolf didn't mean that Maia wasn't scared of ghosts. She had heard stories of wolves being torn apart by vengeful spirits. Shivering at the thought, Maia eased over to the end of the shower and lightly grasped the edge of the curtain. After taking a deep, fortifying breath, she pulled the curtain back as quickly as she could. Jordan, who was standing with his back to the shower curtain, was looking in the mirror, straightening his hair. When he caught sight of her in the mirror, his eyes flew wide and he whipped around. "Maia!" He exclaimed. Then his eyes traveled slowly down her body and he grinned. "Maia," he said again, this time with appreciation in his voice.

Maia's own eyes went wide, and she pulled the shower curtain closed again and stood there with her arms wrapped around herself, covering her breasts. She heard Jordan laughing and began to glower (he couldn't see her, but it still made her feel better). "It's not funny!" She snapped. "Haven't you ever heard of knocking?"

Jordan's voice was still filled with amusement as he responded. "Well, for one thing, it's my apartment, I didn't think I had to knock. Two, I didn't know how long you were going to be, and I had to straighten my hair. Three, I figured that since there are two people in this apartment, and you're one of them, you would know the other person in the bathroom was me."

"You could have made some more noise or something so I would have heard you! And besides, what kind of guy straightens his hair?" That was a stupid question, and it was sexist besides. Maia could have smacked herself, but she was saving all of her anger for Jordan.

Jordan's voice was sly now. "I could have made more noise, but I was kind of hoping you wouldn't hear me. If you had heard me, you would have asked me to leave when you wanted to get out of the shower. I was hoping to see something before you realized that I was in here. You gave me that and more, and by the way, you're very beautiful. And the kind of guy who straightens his hair is one that wants to have hair as awesome as mine. You should feel lucky that there is someone as gorgeous as me to serve as a public role model."

Maia rolled her eyes, but couldn't help feeling flattered that Jordan thought she was beautiful. Jordan went on. "Besides, you'll have to be a lot nicer to me if you want to see what I bought for you today."

That caused a bit of anger, but Maia pushed it aside. "I don't want anything from you. Was that where you were all day, shopping?"

Jordan snorted. "I am a man. Men do not spend that long shopping. In fact, I had time to leave when you fell asleep, come back to take a nap, then leave to get some more stuff."

"Why on earth were you getting that much stuff?" Maia asked as she began to rinse conditioner from her hair.

"That all ties in with what I said earlier, it's for you." Jordan's voice was matter-of-fact. Maia had to fight the urge to rip the shower curtain back again. Jordan went on, "You really need to get out of the shower. I'll leave, no worries." A second later, Maia heard the bathroom door open and close. Suspicious, she poked her head delicately outside the curtain. True to his word, Jordan had left. Maia finished up, shut off the water, and dried off.

The problems started when she reached for her clothes.

* * *

Jordan grinned as Maia stomped out of the bathroom, wearing the clothes he had bought for her: a fitted dark green blouse with brand-new dark jeans. He had even gotten her a new bra and new underwear. He had made the bra a push-up, but had refrained from giving her a thong to wear.

Maia marched up to him and hissed, "The only reason I'm wearing these ridiculous clothes is because I didn't want to walk out of the bathroom in a towel. Where are my clothes so I can go and change?"

Jordan pretended to misunderstand her. "Those are your clothes, darling. I gave them to you; they're not on loan or anything. Now, did you have a problem?"

Narrowing her eyes, Maia poked a finger at him. "Don't act cute. I want to know where my old clothes are! Now!" She was acting like a small child, but Jordan found it endearing.

"I am cute. And, by my best guess, you're clothes are either already burnt or getting ready to be."

Maia just gaped for a second, then rushed to the room where she had last seen the other things she had brought from her cell at that horrible place she used to live in. He knew she would find nothing there. Sure enough, her angry shriek echoed from the next room. Jordan smiled and walked over. "I know it seems bad, but if you'll walk over here..." he grasped her by the arm and led her over to another room. He opened the door, led her inside, and dragged her over to the bed. "This is your new bed," he said simply, then released her to let her explore the area.

She moved even closer to the bed and pressed down on it, then drew her hand back in surprise. She sent him a questioning look over her shoulder and he shrugged. "I remembered when we were dating, you said you had always wanted a water bed. If you don't like it, I can get you something different instead."

She didn't even dignify that with a response, instead drawing back the swirling purple and silver comforter to examine the sheets. Jordan had gotten black Egyptian cotton. He wasn't sure if she would like it, but knew that if she didn't, she would tell him. Soundlessly, she pulled the covers up again and walked over to the closet, opening it to examine the completely new wardrobe he had bought for her, full of clothes that he knew would look good on her (and that he would personally love to see her in). She shut the door and wandered over to the other door in the room: one that led to her own bathroom.

Maia drew back and turned to face Jordan. "Is this the master bedroom?"

Jordan shook his head. "No, this is just another bedroom in the apartment. You've got your own bathroom, and your complete own space. You'll notice that the only thing this room doesn't have is a lock. I want full access here at all times."

Maia's head snapped up and she stuck out her chin. "I don't want any of this, Jordan. I don't want anything from you, I just want to get this over with and to go back home."

He moved closer to her. Gripping her chin, Jordan said, "I don't care. This isn't going away, and not accepting these things is not going to do anything for you. You don't have a choice. Sorry, but from now until I deem you ready for the lycanthrope world, what you want will not matter."

* * *

_Note: _I'm sorry this chapter is late, too. I'm currently in the process of applying to this program, writing essays and filling out applications, and I can't do everything I usually do plus try to apply. I won't be updating for a week or so until I turn in the application, but the fanfiction will go on! I should have another chapter published by Sunday next week at the very latest. Sorry!


	8. First Rights Chapter Eight

**First Rights Chapter Eight**

_Disclaimer: _I do not own the Mortal Instruments Series. Any relation to other series may or may not be coincidental. Sorry this chapter is late, too. In case you haven't realized, my timing sucks, and I caught a bit of a bug, so I haven't felt like typing much. Anyway, sorry, and enjoy. Review if you can, everyone loves knowing someone is listening.

Tears pricked Maia's eyes when she was once again faced with the fact that Jordan spoke the truth. She had nothing for the next few months: she should have no opinions, no decisions to make herself, and no options. As a favorite character of Maia's once said, options are good. Options keep you safe. Maia felt slightly claustrophobic when she realized that she would have to depend completely on Jordan to keep her safe. As a modern, independent woman, this chafed.

Maia looked down, not wanting Jordan to see her sadness. She turned around, going to the closet again instead of just standing there awkwardly. The familiar feel of anger came back as she saw most of her new shirts we either unsuitably tight or had scoop necks. A grand majority of the bras were push-up, and there was noticeably less underwear than there was everything else. This did not bode well for Maia's future. Jordan might want to take her underwear shopping - over her dead body. He might want her to need underwear washed more frequently, and he would probably opt to do laundry. Or, last and least likely to happen, he could want her to go without. Screw that.

She shook her head and turned from the closet when she realized she was reading motives in underwear, but bumped into Jordan when she went to walk back out into the room. She looked up, ready to apologize out of habit when his mouth came down on hers. He kissed her hard, and her fist sank into his stomach a second later. The blow was one that would take down an ordinary human and cause a Were a good bout of pain, but it hardly affected Jordan at all. The only sign that he had felt it at all was the slightly breathless note in his voice as he smiled and said, "Good, you're back. I thought that would make you act like yourself again."

With that, he turned and left the room, leaving Maia to wonder what had just happened.

* * *

Normally, after this sort of thing happened, Jordan would be smiling, jubilant. Just now, though, he was deadly serious as he paced around the living room. The idea that her opinions wouldn't matter for the next few months obviously bothered Maia. Jordan had been harsh with her, knowing that she wouldn't listen otherwise. When she had realized he was speaking the truth, she had withdrawn. He couldn't allow that to happen. If he had wanted someone that was going to do whatever he asked with a nod and a smile, without a word of protest, he would have made someone else a werewolf. That small, helpless person in the bedroom was not Maia, and if he had to piss her off to bring her back to herself, he would do it every hour every day.

Not that this would be any great sacrifice.

Jordan was deep in thought still when the phone rang. He walked over to where it hung on the wall in the kitchen and stood staring at the caller ID. Unknown Name, Unknown Number. Yeah, there was an incentive to pick it up. Regardless, Jordan grabbed the phone and placed it hesitantly at his ear. "Hello?"

"Jordan! We were wondering if Maia could come to my loft for a party. You're invited too, of course! Can we expect you here tonight?" The voice was bubbly and personable, and Jordan had no idea who the hell it could be.

He was forced to sound like an idiot as he said, "Uh, well..." as he tried to find some polite way to figure out who was calling. He sighed. "Screw it. Who the hell is this?"

The voice now sounded hurt. "Are you saying that you don't remember me? After all of the fun time we spent together? I'm so hurt!" Jordan growled, and the person laughed. "All right, this is Magnus, the marvelously attractive warlock you had at your new apartment less than a day ago. Remember yet?"

Jordan scrubbed a hand over his face, rubbing at the stubble he hadn't had time to shave away yet. How had his life become so crazy in less than two days? Fighting with vampires and werewolves, inviting warlocks and Shadowhunters into his apartment when the sun had barely risen, and he was sure this was only the beginning. "Yeah, I remember you. As for the party tonight..." Jordan was unsure. On the one hand, it would be a major pain in the ass to try to keep Maia safe: security and parties rarely mixed, and for good reason. On the other hand, Jordan wanted to keep Maia from drawing into herself like she had only a few moments before. Maybe seeing her friends would help her to stay herself. Grudgingly, Jordan said, "We'll be there. When does this party start?"

Magnus laughed. "When everyone gets there, of course. However, if you need an actual time, nine would be good. There'll be food here, unless you're a vampire."

"Vampire? How many species are you planning to invite to this party?" This might mean they would be better off staying here tonight.

Laughing again, Magnus said, "I guess you'll just have to show up and find out then, won't you?" Then there came a slight _click_as the warlock hung up. Jordan pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it for a second before shaking his head and putting it back in the receiver. Maia walked out of her bedroom and stood there, just outside the door. When Jordan walked up, she looked up at him, her eyes a mixture of wariness and anger.

"Is there anything else you want me to do, Master? Or would you just like me to return to my room since nothing I want matters?"

"Yeah, go back into your room." Maia gaped at him, and he grinned. "We've got to go through your closet and find you some party clothes. Magnus invited us over there tonight, and I figure you'll want a good outfit."

Her lip curling, Maia asked, "Why would you want to go to one of his parties? He doesn't even like them. The only reason he has parties is to see how many girls ask him out, and see how many out of those he can make cry when he cruelly turns them down. Don't get me wrong, it's entertaining, the music is usually good, and the food is pretty awesome, but I'm not really a party person. By all means, though, if you want to go, you're welcome to."

Jordan rolled his eyes and grabbed Maia by the elbow. "Shush. Your friends will be there, and you'll have fun. You know it. Plus, I-" he gritted his teeth as he spoke the next word, "_want_ to go to this party. I also want you to come with me, so let's go find you something to wear."

Using his grip on her arm, Jordan steered her to the closet.

* * *

When nine thirty rolled around, Maia and Jordan were walking up to the door of Magnus' loft. The music was audible even out here. Maia was digging her heels in, but Jordan tugged her along impatiently. "Come on, Maia, you look great. Besides, we're already late."

Maia didn't know about the looking great thing. She was wearing a dark purple blouse cut into an inverted triangle. Though she tried not to let it, the shirt exposed sections of her sides to the air. Her pants were white with black zippers attached here and there for effect. A large belt topped these, complete with black rivets spattered in purple paint. Who said men can't accessorize? Because obviously, Jordan had picked this outfit. For one thing, Maia wouldn't have gone with these shoes. They were high heeled and black. They also made a lot of noise when she walked.

She was jealous of Jordan's outfit. He had spent all of that time helping her find an outfit that was to his satisfaction, then walked to his room and was changed in less than a minute. He was now wearing dark jeans, a white long-sleeved shirt with black drawings on it, and skate shoes. It was so simple, and looked comfortable. Maia glared at him once again, but she had been glaring at him so much lately that he seemed to have grown immune.

"I don't know why you're so worried," Maia sighed. "If anything, Magnus will appreciate that we're fashionably late."

The door opened abruptly, and Magnus' irritated face appeared. "As if I hadn't figured fashionable lateness into the time I gave Jordan? Please." He sniffed. "Now you're half an hour past fashionably late. I hope you're happy. Although you both look fabulous."

With that, Magnus opened the door wide and ushered them inside. The music that had been audible outside was deafening in here. Maia winced and began to put her hands over her ears, but Jordan pulled them away.

"This can be your first lesson," he shouted in her ear. When she looked at him curiously, he explained, speaking as close to her ear as was possible. "All supernatural creatures can control their senses. If you concentrate, you can turn down your hearing until all of this noise is merely in the background. Then, once you've mastered that, you can choose to hear some elements at a greater volume, like someone talking. Try it now. It should come easily."

Sure enough, when Maia tried, she could hear the volume in the room slowly creeping down. She sighed in relief as it reached a level she could stand without wanting to stuff cheese cubes in her ears. Jordan was looking at her intently, then he spoke. She could barely hear him, but it was enough to understand that he was asking her if it had worked. She gave him a quick thumbs up and began to wander over to where she saw a few people she knew from the pack. Suddenly, she felt more like making friends. Maia half expected Jordan to follow her - _expected_, not _wanted_ she assured herself - but he was waylaid talking to someone. She smiled and went on her way.

* * *

Jordan glared over at Maia where she stood across the room. While he was stuck here, talking to an older warlock about how frustrating women could be (Wonder Warlock was a little tipsy), Maia was lounging on one of the couches and chatting amiably with another werewolf girl. The only way he had of amusing himself was watching how many words he could fit into the pause created when Warlock stopped to dry-heave. Suddenly, his eyes sharpened as he caught a glimpse of a familiar face. Jordan quickly made his excuses and started across the room, but knew he could never get to Maia before it happened.

The person was getting closer and closer, sneaking up behind the couch, and Jordan longed to shout a warning, but he fought it. Helplessly, he watched as Caelin bent and captured Maia's lips.


	9. First Rights Chapter Nine

**First Rights Chapter Nine**

_Disclaimer:_ I do not own the Mortal Instruments Series. Sorry it's been so long. I've been busy, but my school let out for summer vacation yesterday, so I'll have more time now. Thanks for being so patient!

Maia had just began to glance up when she felt a mouth cover hers. Immediately, she was pissed. She had been over here, trying to enjoy herself and have fun with friends like he had told her to, and Jordan had to come over here and assert his dominance over her. She had now officially had enough. Pissed, she raised a fist and began to pound against Jordan's shoulder. Except... was it just her imagination, or was Jordan slightly bulkier than the last time they had been in this situation... well, a few hours ago?

She opened her eyes to find Caelin's face mere inches in front of her face. Surprisingly, Maia's first thought wasn't surprise that Caelin apparently felt something for her. Her first thought was , 'Where is Jordan? This isn't what it looks like.' Her second thought was that Jordan got what he deserved and that she should kiss Caelin again. The fact that he was a good kisser didn't count against him, either. She glanced up through her eyelashes to study Caelin's face. He looked distinctly nervous, but she smiled and raised her face for him, and he smiled back, moving in slightly. However, before either could close the distance between them, a roar echoed through the apartment.

Both Caelin's and Maia's heads whipped over to find Jordan charging toward them.

Maia didn't know what she had expected to happen, but whatever she had expected, it turned out more like a scene in a movie: Jordan began pummeling Caelin and Caelin began pummeling Jordan. The other guests formed a circle around the fighting duo, Maia paced uselessly back and forth, and soon cheering broke out for various favorites. Jordan was the clear favorite, but Caelin had his supporters. Maia looked around wildly for Magnus, hoping the warlock would soon put a stop to the fighting. However, she spotted him seconds later at the front of the crowd, cheering for Caelin, shouting, "Put him in his place!"

"Magnus!" Maia pleaded. He glanced at her and sighed, lifting one of his fingers. Immediately, Jordan shot into the air, suspended by his collar. "Hit him harder!" Magnus yelled, then laughed and said at a normal volume, "I'm just kidding. Time to stop, guys. It was entertaining and all, but if you break my furniture, I would have to hurt you both." Flicking his pointer and middle fingers at the door, both Caelin and Jordan were thrown out, landing roughly in the hallway. Speaking loud enough for them to hear, the warlock then said, "If you are planning to continue fighting, do keep the volume down. I have enough noise complaints against me without the two of you adding to them." The door then slammed shut.

A second of silence made its way throughout the crowded apartment, but the noise soon began and grew to its earlier decibel. Maia stood for a moment, stunned. Magnus leaned down to look at her face. "Cheer up. I did what you wanted me to, and that's rare in itself. Appreciate one of the few times it will ever happen." He ambled off in Alec's direction. Maia shook her head and blinked a few times until another werewolf girl came up and asked her if she wanted to join the huge group of dancing girls on the other side of the room. Maia smiled and accepted. She had always loved to dance, and she could wait a while before getting back to Jordan anyway.

* * *

Jordan smirked as he leaned up against the wall outside of Magnus' apartment - a wall that was rumbling along with the base thumping in the room. Caelin had run away as soon as he had been able to stand, leaving Jordan to stand here and wonder when Maia would come back. At first he had been upset when his mate didn't return right away, but he quickly forgave her since he would have done the same thing in her place. Sighing, he slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor, then looked around in disgust. Obviously, since these places were mostly rented by artists, someone figured they could skip on the cleaning. Jordan's shirt was probably ruined, but it was too late to anything about it now. Idly, he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and checked his messages. Shit, eight new texts. Odds were good that something big was going on, and he was finally going to be involved.

All of the texts were from his adopted mother. Jordan sagged. And all of them were about this girl that she thought would be perfect for her son. Damn, that was a letdown. Jordan tensed up again. These messages were different than others his mother had sent. These got increasingly bitchy, telling him that he had to call her. Once again, she thought she had found the one and only woman on the face of the planet who would be perfect for her son. Fingers flying over the keyboard, Jordan dialed his mother's number. It wasn't too early where she lived on the west coast. He held the phone to his ear as he rubbed at the bridge of his nose.

Lamenting, he asked the air, "Why me? Why do I have to be the only loved orphan on the planet? Why couldn't I get a nice pair of distant, cold parents?" He didn't mean it, obviously. Jordan was thankful every day for the guidance his loving parents had given him, and still provided today. Except for cases such as this, in which his mother interfered overly much. She was an interesting woman. Her real name was Tameryn, which she disliked. In her opinion, the name was too feminine, and she preferred to go by the name Cedar, a nickname given from the color of her fur when she was in wolf form. Cedar was fierce, protective of herself and everything she viewed as hers, yet she was kind and loving to Jordan, and her husband, Denver. All of this was pondered in the moment in which the phone connected and began to ring. Almost immediately, Cedar answered her phone.

"Hello?" Jordan smiled at his mother's tone. She sounded slightly impatient, as if she had more important things to do than talk on the phone. Such as set Jordan up for marriage.

"Hey, mom. It's Jordan." He braced himself for her usual lectures about how long it had been since he called, but they didn't come.

"Jordan!" She gushed. "What did you think about Myndy? Didn't she just sound like the most charming girl? I'm sure you'll love her. Oh! Since you're calling, I was thinking, instead of me sending her out to see you, why don't you come out here? This way, you can meet Myndy, and we can see you at the same time. It's been so long since I've seen you, my little boy. When do you think you'll be able to come out here?"

For the first time in their conversation, Cedar paused for a breath and awaited his response restlessly. "I'm sorry, mom, but I can't." He spoke over her protests. "Mom, I've found someone. I think she's the perfect person for me, and I plan to marry and spend the rest of my life with her."

"Really?" From the catch in Cedar's voice, Jordan would have bet on the prescence of tears in her eyes. Wolves usually mated young and stayed together for the rest of their lives. Jordan had been a constant source of concern for Cedar.

"Really, mom. I love her already." His voice became chagrined as he said, "I'm just trying to convince her that she loves me, too. However, I would love to pay for plane tickets so that you and dad can fly out here and meet her. You'll love Maia, I'm sure of it."

Cedar sounded offended now. "I wouldn't dream of using your money. Expect your father and I in a few days. Are you still living in the same apartment?"

Jordan gave her the address of his and Maia's apartment. "I'll see you in a few days then, okay?"

Voice softening, Cedar kissed into the phone. "I'm counting the hours already, baby boy. I'll see you soon. Don't give up on your woman yet, all right? Sometimes, we only fight because we want to be sure we've got the right man. Just keep working on her. Who could pass you up, hm? Okay, love you sweetheart. Bye." With another kissing sound, Cedar hung up.

Jordan smiled again, and had just put his phone back into his pocket when he heard Magnus' doorknob turn. Maia walked out of the warlock's apartment and looked around for a second before spotting him. She wrinkled her nose. "You know your shirt's going to be ruined, right?"

Even though Jordan had thought this a moment before, he was offended, saying stiffly, "Maia, I'm a man. Men don't worry about things like clothing and shoes."

Maia snorted. "Jordan, give me a break. I've seen your closet." She shook her head and began to walk downstairs. Jordan stayed where he was for a second, then shrugged and followed her, deciding that he was merely going to 'forget' to tell Maia about their guest for a few days.

* * *

Maia walked downstairs on autopilot, busy fuming at herself. First, she had cut short her evening with her so-called 'friends'. They had begun to ask questions about Jordan between dancing. They had told Maia to hang onto Jordan with both hands, especially because he was hot. Maia had dealt them a few harsh words and walked out. Secondly, Maia had walked out of the door and had instantly gotten in a better mood because she had seen Jordan, then had exchanged casual conversation with him. Thirdly, he was coming up behind her and she had to stifle the urge to explain Caelin's actions to him. Since when did she answer to anyone, much less Jordan?

A hand grasped hers just as she got to the bottom of the stairs. Turning, Maia scowled, ready to tear Jordan a new one if he had the audacity to yell at her. Instead, his mouth covered hers and he kissed her deeply. Just once, couldn't she decide when to initiate a kiss? Jordan pulled away hesitantly, looking shocked that she hadn't shoved him away. Maia leaned to the side, spat, and wiped her mouth on her sleeve. "What the hell was that for?" Rather than sounding tough and pissed off like she had been trying to, she sounded weary.

Jordan grinned at her. "Well, you can't taste him anymore, can you?" With that, he sauntered away while Maia shook her head at his need to be the only male in her life.

Jogging, she caught up with him. He looked over at her as though he hadn't just left her in the dust. "So, now that I'm banned from party central, where do you want to go?"

Maia shrugged. "We're in New York City. We could do anything." As he waggled his eyebrows at her, she blushed and hit him. "Except that, you perv," she said severely.

Jordan merely shrugged and kept walking. "Since it's late, my usual places might not be open. I'm more of a daytime than a nighttime person, so I wouldn't really know. There's one thing we can do, and I'm sure it's always open." Maia braced herself for more bad jokes, but Jordan was silent as he stepped to the curb and hailed a cab.

A short time later, Maia gaped as she stared around her, spinning to take in the entire view. She would admit she had possessed some major doubts when Jordan suggested they walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, but now, those doubts were gone as though they had never been. Lights from various building glimmered out at them over the water as traffic zoomed by at their backs. Maia could see thin tendrils of fog beginning to creep out onto the surface of the water, dimming the reflection of the cloudy sky. Though this view never bored her, the grand architecture of the bridge itself captured her attention periodically.

Jordan was right behind her the entire time, lending her his warmth when the wind got a little chilly. As a way of thanking him while keeping her pride, Maia lounged back against him slightly as she enjoyed the view (of the bridge, of course). She sighed. Maybe this situation wasn't completely bad, but she'd be damned before she'd ever admit that to Jordan.


	10. First Rights Chapter Ten

**First Rights Chapter Ten**

_Disclaimer:_ I do not own the Mortal Instruments Series. If you are one of the people who read my other story, Dark Flight, I have a poll about the last few chapters, and I would love it if everyone voted on it!

When Maia had finally tired of the view from the bridge, she and Jordan headed back to the apartment, stopping to have a late dinner/early breakfast at an all-night cafe. When they had finally gotten home, they said goodnight and went off to their separate rooms and each went to sleep. Maia slept soundly, not even waking long enough to turn over, until three in the morning, when she woke up to a muffled clanking sound. Her first thought was, _Great, some asshole broke his bike outside and he's going to sit there and fix it. I'm never going to be able to sleep._ For some reason, this explanation didn't click with Maia, and she mulled it over slowly as she slept. Eventually, she came up with an answer. When she had first run away, Maia had been too young to begin a serious career, and none of the pack had known that she was without a family. As a result, the werewolf often worked odd jobs as a way to earn money. One of these odd jobs had been in a garage, tidying up after the mechanics and basically keeping the place from becoming a rat-infested stinkpit. One of her talents left over from the job was that she could now tell, just by hearing the sounds, what kind of vehicle was being worked on, and this clanking wasn't from a vehicle. This clanking came from simple chains.

Every cheesy ghost story she'd ever heard went through Maia in a flash, and she tensed under her covers, goosebumps rippling over her skin. She could feel her pupils dialating as she tried to see through the darkness in the room. Since she was a werewolf, she had better night vision than virtually anyone on the planet, but, used to the never-darkness of the cells in the police station, she had decided to treat herself by sleeping in a completely dark room. What a great decision that had been. To be fair, however, she hadn't known that Jordan lived in a haunted apartment. Mind racing, she thought, _What kind of a ghost rattles chains? That hasn't been in any ghost stories since 'A Christmas Carol'. _With that thought, her heart slowed slightly and she quietly began to sit up in bed, steeling herself to turn on the bedside lamp. The space, though. The space between the bed and the table, maybe four inches wide. That space was scaring the hell out of her right now.

Mentally, Maia slapped herself. She was the big, bad werewolf. She herself was one of the things that went 'bump' in the night. Maia would not be scared of a gap between her bed and a table. Convincing herself of this, Maia reached over, and had her hand on the switch when she heard another sound. Her hand whipped back as she tried desperately to identify the disturbance. Soft noises, coming in slow intervals, almost like... Maia gulped. This wasn't her imagination, there were footsteps now accompanying the rattling sound. Footsteps that were slow, but steady. Footsteps that were undeniably heading straight for the bed, and her. Maia shut her eyes for a moment, then shot her hand out and turned on the lamp. She stared wildly around the room, but there was nothing there. Remembering a scene from a movie, Maia watched the floor, waiting for footprints to indent the carpet, but none came. She sighed in relief, convinced she was alone, and shook her head. That had been too exciting for the young werewolf girl to go directly back to sleep right now, so she would have to read for a while before turning the light back off. If she didn't sleep with the light on tonight.

After retrieving her book from the all-important bedside table, Maia curled up and opened the book. The crackling of the spine and the barely-audible rustling of the pages soothed her, and she relaxed even more into the pillows. Suddenly, a chill ran up her body as she realized the harsh breathing in the room wasn't coming from her. It was coming from under her bed. The werewolf stiffened up again just as a deep voice echoed up from the inky space between her mattress and the floor.

_"Just because you cannot see me does not mean that I am not here." _

The voice was terrifying. Not only was there a deep voice coming from under the bed proclaiming it's prescence, but every word the thing spoke rose and fell with pitches like screams and a terrible whispering sound behind it's speech. Without one pause for thought, Maia leapt off of the bed (keeping her feet well away from under the bed) and burst out of the door, slamming it behind her. A second later, Jordan appeared in his doorway, shirtless and rubbing sleepily at the back of his head. He squinted at her. "Maia? What was that sound? Are you okay?"

Maia raced toward him, grasping him tight around the waist and hanging on, doing her best burr impression. Jordan blinked down at her with a bewildered look on his face. Words poured out of her mouth in an unorganized babble, "Jordan, thank goodness. I heard chains, then footsteps, and then the most horrible voice came from under my bed... The things it said! Well, it didn't really say all that much, but its voice! Why didn't you tell me your apartment was haunted? I would have just had you kill me when you found me. I can't stay here tonight, and neither can you. It's not safe here, not with that thing in here. Pack a bag, and we can go back to stay with the pack, we'll be safe there. What do you think that thing was? I have no idea myself, but I'm thinking either a ghost or a demon-" She continued on.

* * *

Jordan had major problems with following whatever Maia was saying. She was talking about one hundred miles a minute, and he only caught a word here and there, but he understood that something had come into her room and spoke to her. She didn't like whatever it had been, and the thing had scared the living crap out of his darling. He also caught that she wanted to leave his apartment, and that was not happening. Jordan shook her slightly, then harder when she didn't respond, and kept talking. Her eyes had gone wide and blank. He knew she was in slight shock. She had really been scared. Jordan sat back for a moment, thinking about what would bring her back to him. A glass of water would work, but it would be so messy. He couldn't think of a smooth was to force sugar into her system. Jordan supposed that he could slap her or something, but he would rather die, plus that would almost be inviting the white mist back. Finally, he leaned forward and kissed her deeply, allowing his hands to roam over her back and her butt. When a hand gripped his in an iron grasp, he smiled against Maia's mouth. She was back, and not too happy with him.

"Hey, baby. Welcome back," Jordan murmured silkily. Maia gazed at him for a moment, eyes focusing, then she grimaced.

She stepped back, wiping her mouth over and over again, doing everything except for spit on the floor, but Jordan wasn't insulted. Rather, he thought Maia's persistance in her denial of her feelings for him was entertaining. "I guess I should thank you for that, for helping me." She didn't sound grateful, but then again, she wouldn't be Maia if she had actually thanked him, especially when kissing and Jordan were both involved at the same time.

Jordan shook his head, grinning. "I was happy to help you out. In fact, any time you need that kind of help, just feel free to let me know." He generously ignored the hateful glare she shot at him and went on, "We aren't leaving the apartment. We'll stay tonight at the least, and I can keep us safe from anything that might be inhabiting this place. Please, don't worry yourself over this. I'll always take care of you, Maia." He convinced himself he wasn't embarrassed that his voice rang with the truth of his last sentence.

Maia's face darkened with anger. "I am not staying here! There's something in here, something evil, and I won't put my life in danger just because you don't believe me." Her voice wavered at the end, slicing through her facade of toughness and pulling at Jordan's heartstrings.

Jordan grabbed Maia and lifted her into his arms, then began walking to his room. "Stop worrying right now," he said over Maia's complaints and demands to set her down, "You can sleep in my room tonight. I'll protect you from whatever you think inhabits my apartment. And I do believe you, Maia, I just need to see it myself so I can figure out what it is."

"That's part of what I was telling you, you dope! The thing said, 'Just because you cannot see me does not mean that I am not here'. That could mean that nobody can see it. You aren't listening to me. We're in danger, no matter how well you _think_ you can protect us." Maia rolled her eyes.

Jordan smiled and hugged her closer as he lifted them both into his bed. "Thank you for worrying about my safety. I care about you, too. Don't worry, the minute I hear anything strange, I'll wake up and we'll take care of whatever this thing is. I just want you to be happy here, Maia. Is that asking for the impossible?"

Maia looked guilty for a moment. "It...it may not be totally impossible. I'll try to be happy, Jordan, I'll try my best, but I really don't think we're safe with that thing here."

"We'll be fine, I swear to you." Jordan finished the conversation as he gently pushed her down until her head was resting halfway on the pillow and half on his arm. His other arm was still wrapped around her body. She slowly relaxed, then her head lolled slightly as she fell asleep. Jordan gazed down at her face for a while as she slept. Maia had really been scared tonight. He hated to see her like this, his brave woman never acted frightened, and never fled from a fight. Maia shuddered a little in her sleep and pressed tighter against Jordan. He smiled and sighed at the amazing feeling of laying next to his woman, who looked to him for protection.

"Thanks, Braxton," Jordan whispered out into the room. Maia's ghost/demon materialized. He looked to be about twenty-five or so, with wavy blonde hair touching his collar. Braxton dressed as an English gentleman from the early eighteen hundreds, the time period in which he had both lived and died. He was only slightly transparent, so Jordan could clearly see the sharp salute and wink the ghost gave him before Braxton disappeared, presumably back to Maia's room, which had been one of his favorite places to hang around. Jordan sighed again. It was good to be a werewolf with lots of favors to call in.


	11. First Rights Chapter Eleven

**First Rights Chapter Eleven**

_Disclaimer: _I do not own the Mortal Instruments Series.

Maia blinked and sighed. She knew it was still early in the morning, so she turned over and squeezed her eyes shut, but it was of no use. She was awake now, damn it. Leisurely, she yawned and stretched her arms, rapidly opening her eyes when her first collided with something in midair. Jordan blinked down at her, rubbing a spot on his jaw bemusedly. "Well, good morning to you too, love."

She blushed. Maia secretly liked when he called her 'love', but he could never know that. Accordingly, she let him believe that the color in her cheeks was due to her unfortunate stretching incident. "I'm sorry, Jordan. I actually didn't mean to hit you in the face. My bad." She moved as though to get off of the bed, but Jordan grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back down next to him. She struggled, but his grip was firm. "Come on, Jordan. I've actually got other things to do than lay here. Who would have pegged you for a snuggler, anyway?" Okay, now she was goading him, but seriously, what man liked being called a snuggler?

"No one would have thought I liked snuggling except for you. You're the only person I like to snuggle with. And I kept you safe all night long, you owe me." Jordan's voice took on a pious pitch, "There's nothing more important than settling one's debts." He wriggled closer to her. "See? Don't you feel good about this? You're settling the score between us, making things even."

Maia let her face take on an uncomfortable expression, matching what she was feeling - or trying to feel. "One, me making things even would have nothing whatsoever to do with snuggling. It would have more to do with a sword. Two, I have no debts to you. You're the one who brought me to his haunted apartment. Three, I hate this. Cuddling sucks. Human contact never made the top ten list of my favorite things to do. Actually, it never made the top six hundred. Four, there are certain things people need to take care of after they wake up in the morning. Personally, I would really like to pee somewhere other than in this bed. Will you let go of me now?"

Jordan laughed, the jerk, and still didn't let her go. "I can afford another bed if you soil this one." He moved to kiss her, but stopped abruptly. Self-conciously, Maia realized that she had bed-head and morning breath. Damn, no wonder he didn't want to kiss her. But a moment later, she realized Jordan had been pausing to think as he said, "However, it would take a while to fit a new bed through the door, and if there's one thing I won't give up with you, it's time." Slowly, his arms peeled away from her. "There, I've managed to let you go, and I'm feeling very lonely and cold. I want you back here pronto. It doesn't take a lot of time to use the restroom, even for a girl."

Maia arched her eyebrows. "Well, if you put it that way... I'll tell you what. I will fix each of those problems." She got up, walked over to the foot of the bed, and grabbed the comforter from where it had gotten kicked during the night. Grasping one edge, Maia threw the rest over him awkwardly. "There. Now you can't be cold." She walked back up to the side of the bed she had been sleeping on and pulled back the newly placed comforter. Turning, she grabbed a few long pillows from the chair behind her, then placed them vertically along the mattress. She replaced the comforter and stepped back to admire her work. It did look rather like a person. "There you go, Jordan. Pretend that's me, and you won't die from loneliness before I get back." Maia turned and marched briskly out of the room.

After she left the room, however, her confidence faded quickly. She was facing the room she had fled the night before in a state of extreme panic. Being honest with herself, Maia wasn't sure she could enter the room once again. She took a deep breath. She could do this. All she had to do was walk in, grab an outfit, and walk back out, after that, she was free to change and use the restroom, which she actually needed to do. Throwing her shoulders back and holding her head high, Maia opened the door and strode confidently into the room.

Nothing happened.

Cautiously, Maia crossed the room, since her wardrobe was on the other side of it. Still, nothing happened. She smiled slightly, pulled the wardrobe doors open, and began the process of choosing an outfit for the day. Should she go with jeans and a tee shirt, or jeans and a tee shirt? Choices, choices. Barely glancing at what she grabbed, Maia turned and headed to the bathroom to get dressed and ready for the day.

* * *

Back in his room, Jordan lazily kicked the comforter off his body and folded his arms up under his head. As he gazed up at the ceiling, the werewolf pondered how nice it had been to sleep next to Maia. Now more than ever, he was sure she was his true mate. He heard a noise, and without sliding his gaze from the ceiling, said, "Hey, Braxton. What's up?"

A British-accented voice answered, confused, "I do not understand. The very ceiling that you are looking at is the only thing that is above us."

The English ghost had adjusted well to modern society, but had yet to pick up the phrases that were so essential today. The man did some things to fix this lack of knowledge, such as watch television. The ghost had become obsessed with cable, and one crime-solving show in particular. Braxton watched the show regularly and was a huge fan. On the few occasions he wouldn't be in the apartment, he recorded the show. A person wouldn't think a ghost would have to go anywhere, but Braxton had to go somewhere about once a month to make a report to someone. He had to go more often than that if he did something that would be described as inadvisable. Last night, the man had to report to... well, to wherever he went. Even the afterlife had rules, Jordan supposed.

"Nothing. Hey, thanks again for helping me out last night. I hope you didn't catch too much shit about it?" Jordan raised his head up to look at the ghost as he asked his question. Sometimes, Braxton had a tendency not to tell Jordan when he could or couldn't ask Braxton to do something. For all he knew, asking the English spirit to throw a scare into Maia had been totally illegal.

The ghost shook his head. "No, the ones in charge have other things to worry about than a single human woman, at least in the department that I work with." As Jordan pondered this latest tidbit about the great above, Braxton went on. "However, I do wish to meet Miss Maia and apologize for my dreadful behavior. May I reveal myself to her at some point today?"

Braxton had felt horrible about the plan to scare Maia. It was incredible, the amount of convincing it had taken for him to agree to frighten the female werewolf. Things like that weren't done in his day, at least not to the gentler, 'weaker' sex.

Jordan thought for a moment. "Yeah, sure. Whenever you want. Maybe, though, you could tell her that there was something evil in her room and that you chased it off for her, if you don't mind. That way, she wouldn't be pissed off at me, and she would start liking you right away. Plus, she'd feel safe and protected and all of that." Another pause. Jordan said deliberately and slowly, "Braxton, I want you to be perfectly honest with me. Is it against the rules for you to lie for me? Will you get in trouble if you do?"

"No, Jordan. I swear on my honor that a helpful deception is in perfect accordance with the rules. Shall I assume that you do not wish me to use the demonic voice around her, since it frightened her so badly this last evening?"

Nodding, Jordan said, "Yeah, that's a definite no. She'll figure it out right away if you do the voice around her."

Braxton nodded, relieved. "I shall take my leave then."

Just as the ghost began to disappear, Jordan thought of something. He sat up and hissed as loud as he dared, "Braxton! Come back here!"

The ghost solidified again. "What is it?"

"You may not want to go find Maia right now. She left to change her clothes and there's a very good chance she's naked right now. Not the way to introduce yourself, my man. So, if you could hold off for a couple of minutes, that would be great." Not to mention that Jordan would like to be there when Maia got her first glimpse of Braxton.

Braxton paled. "Thank you, Jordan, for warning me. I would have - in any case, thank you."

He dissolved, and Jordan laid back down, taking care to get as close to his original position as he could. He couldn't have Maia thinking he could function without her or anything. Lying there, Jordan laughed at how cheesy he had become. His smile quickly died when he realized he would have to tell Maia about his adoptive parents visiting soon. Women tended to get pissy about things like that. Maia would probably want to have ample warning time, and clean the house or something. With that thought, an image of Maia in an apron holding a feather duster and a mop popped into his head, and the smile returned as he shut his eyes again.

He shortly gave up any hope of additional sleep as his phone buzzed. Jordan sighed and grabbed the phone, pressing the buttons that would give him the new text message. It was from his adoptive mother, Cedar. His adoptive father, Denver, wasn't able to travel out here, but Cedar had bought her plane ticket and would arrive tomorrow. That was it, no flight number or time. Jordan rolled his eyes. Cedar was strange that way. She never gave out any details about travel plans, or about anything really. For one thing, she was extremely paranoid. The other reason was that she didn't want Jordan to drive to the airport to pick her up. Cedar was the poster child for 'independent woman'.

Because of this (and much to Jordan's amusement), Cedar and Braxton clashed quite violently. Braxton would attempt to help Cedar, offering to carry her luggage or something, and Cedar would become offended, seeing the offer of aid as a violation of her independence. Having the two of them living in the same area, if only for a short time, would be quite enough to deal with, but adding Maia to the mix? Almost certain disaster.

Suddenly exhausted, Jordan allowed his head to slump back onto his pillow.


	12. First Rights Chapter Twelve

**First Rights Chapter Twelve**

_Disclaimer: _I do not own the Mortal Instruments Series, nor do I own any other popular series that may happen to show up in name or character.

Maia hummed a random tune as she made her way back into Jordan's bedroom, fully dressed in a band tee shirt and a pair of jeans with one small tear in a knee. She had put socks on, but her feet were rarely chilly. Since lycanthropes had such a high metabolism, they were almost always warm. The socks did have a purpose, though. Feet were never sexy, especially not in thick white socks. Maia doubted that this alone would make him back off, but she was never one to underestimate the subconcious mind and its effect on actions.

She had to bite down on a laugh as she spotted Jordan, laying exactly where he had been before. His head was on the pillow and he looked exhausted. This should have looked semi-normal, but somehow, Jordan managed to make it look dramatic, his hair spread all over the pillows and one arm flung over the pillow replacement of herself. Her smothered laugh must have made some noise, since Jordan's eyes opened and his head tilted up lazily.

"What's so funny?" The question itself struck Maia as being comical, and she began laughing, feeling a giggle fit coming on. Jordan smiled at her and rolled off of the bed ans she continued to laugh. Soon he was in front of her, and he was laughing too. The two of them slumped together as the laughter died away slowly. Sounding wiped out, Jordan asked, "So, can I ask what all of that was about?"

Maia shrugged. "I've been so stressed out lately. I guess my body didn't want to let me stay stressed, so I laughed it all away. Sorry that was so weird."

Jordan smiled again. "That was actually pretty funny. But I was kind of laughing about your socks, too. I've never seen you wear anything like those. Plus, I know why you're wearing them. You're trying to put some distance between us, aren't you? Well, it won't work. I still think you're sexy, and if you want me to, I'll describe exactly why, even in those socks. They make me want to-"

"Agh! Stop!" Maia held her palms up in front of herself, and squeezed her eyes shut. "I don't want to hear any of this. I'm wearing these socks because my feet were cold."

Jordan scooped her up in his arms and grabbed one of her feet. Maia's eyes popped open. "Bullshit. Your feet are toasty warm." In a smooth motion, he peeled the offending socks off and threw them across the room. Maia sighed irritably and Jordan looked at her sternly. "I never want to see you wearing those again unless your feet are in serious danger of frostbite."

Maia rolled her eyes. "All right, high and mighty, put me down now."

Jordan shook his head. "No, there's something you need to see before I do, and you can't be running away." He raised his voice. "Braxton! Dude, now would be a great time to show up if you want to meet her."

As Maia looked at him like he was crazy, Braxton appeared on the other side of the room, one eyebrow raised at Jordan. "What are you doing, Jordan?"

Maia's head whipped around and she gave a muffled scream when she caught sight of the man. "Who are you? How did you get in here?"

Braxton looked helplessly at Jordan, who shrugged. Braxton approached Jordan and Maia slowly. "Hello, Miss Maia. I'm Braxton. I'm a ghost, and I stay with Jordan. I usually stay in the room you now live in." Braxton's tone had been comforting, but this had been the wrong thing to say to Maia. Jordan could almost see the memory of her ghost occurring to her, and Maia's breathing became harsh as her eyes opened wider. "No, miss, I'm not the one who scared you!" The statement had sounded just a tad guilty, but Maia must have been focusing on his words because she seemed to calm down. "The person who was in your room was a mere misguided spirit. I soon took care of it and they are now where they're supposed to be." Braxton stepped closer. "My only regret is that I was unable to spare you the fright of experiencing the ghost's poor trick. I do hope you will be able to forgive me?"

Maia tapped Jordan's arm. He regretfully set her down and was proud to see her walk steadily over to Braxton. Professionally, she held out a hand and introduced herself. "Hello, Braxton. I'm Maia, but I guess you already knew that. Did Jordan talk about me, or did you just pick it up along the way?"

Braxton smiled down at her. "Jordan talked about many a time before he had even caught sight of you in his first rights plan. If I had failed to know who you are by now, I fear I would be considered an utter failure."

Maia looked over her shoulder at Jordan, eyes sparkling. "Yeah, Jordan has a tendency to be a bit clingy. You should have seen what he was up to this morning - "

A hand snaked around and covered her mouth. "That's enough for one day. Do you have anything else you could be doing there, Braxton?" Jordan was horrified to hear the embarrassed note in his voice.

Braxton smirked. "Yes, Jordan, I'll go track down something else to do. I believe my show is on." Turning his attention to Maia, he said, "It was lovely to meet you, Miss Maia. I look forward to continuing this conversation at a later time."

Shaking Jordan's hand away from her face, Maia replied, "It was nice to meet you too, Braxton, and you can just call me Maia. We'll have to hang out together sometime soon."

The ghost looked incredibly happy at this, and Jordan felt a surge of guilt. He really could stand to spend more time with Braxton, who disappeared at that point. "Well," Jordan said, mainly to break the silence. "What did you think of him?"

Maia smiled. "I liked him a lot. He seems like a really nice guy. He saved me, who he doesn't even really know, from some ghost that infiltrated my room. Plus, it seems like he's lived with you for quite a while, so he's probably got all kinds of dirt on you that he would be willing to share with me. Yup, I think we're going to get along great. If you'll excuse me, I want to see what his show is."

"Hang on," Jordan said, and grabbed her hand. "I need to talk to you about something that's going to happen tomorrow." Maia furrowed her eyebrows but didn't ask anything. "My adoptive mother is coming out here for a visit. She really wants to meet you. I just thought it was fair to warn you."

Maia took a moment to respond, but when she did, she sounded chipper. "Okay. If that's it, I'll catch you later. I'm going to go hang with Braxton."

Jordan tightened his grip on her hand. "Hang on. Aren't you mad I waited this long to tell you? Aren't you going to freak out and say you're going to clean the apartment or something?"

Maia rolled her eyes. "Jordan, if you want your apartment cleaned, call someone to do it, because I'm not going to. Is that it?"

Confused, he dropped her hand. "Okay, yeah. That's it, I guess." She bounded off toward the living room, not a care in the world. Standing alone in his bedroom, Jordan crossed his arms and stared in the direction she had left as he sighed, bewildered. When exactly was he going to realize that Maia wasn't like any other girl he'd met?

* * *

Maia laughed to herself as she walked into the living room. Had Jordan actually expected her to offer to clean his apartment? One, the apartment was already clean. Two, it wasn't her job to do it. She had only lived here for a matter of days. Anything bad would reflect on Jordan, not Maia. Oh, well. She had gotten the chance to shock him, and that was something.

The scene in the living room was interesting in itself. With the way the room was set up, Maia couldn't see the television right away, but she could see Braxton, lounging on the couch and laughing at something on the screen. When he spotted her, the ghost sat up and hit the button on the remote that would pause the show, but Maia shook her head. "No, don't stop the show. I want to watch some t.v. too."

Braxton looked hesitant. "Maia, I don't know whether this is the type of television you prefer - "

Maia turned to see the screen, which had been paused on the image of a pretty, Goth girl holding a styrofoam cup. She was talking animatedly to a gray-haired man with a stern look on his face. Maia grinned. "Oh my gosh, you watch NCIS too. I love this show!"

Braxton beamed. "We shall be great friends after all, Maia."

He un-paused the episode and the two settled in on the couch to discuss what was going on and their favorite episodes. Maia was amused to hear that Braxton had seen every episode - ever. Fortunately, a marathon was happening, and the pair kept watching as the show rolled on. All too soon, Maia heard a loud beep from her room and went to see who had text messaged her.

After finding the phone and pulling it from the bag, Maia saw that the message had been from Simon. He apologized again for not seeming worried about her, and asked her if he could start making it up to her by taking her out for lunch. Maia realized with a sinking feeling that she wasn't interested, not at all. She knew, deep down, that her relationship with Simon was over, once and for all. It pissed her off to let Isabelle have him, but that would be a terrible basis for a relationship anyway. Yes, she had to see Simon, but only to tell him that it was over between them, once and for all. Maia texted the name of a restaurant they had been to a few times, then shut the phone and put it back in the bag she had gotten it from.

Reflectively, she walked to Jordan's room. When had her feelings for Simon died? How? Who had replaced him in her heart? Or, maybe, her heart just was sick of all of the rejection. She tried to clear her thoughts as she entered Jordan's room, but stopped dead still when she saw him. As soon as her eyes hit him, Maia's heart gave a tug. No! She surely hadn't gone and fallen for Jordan, had she?

Maia set that thought aside to ponder later as she cleared her throat. Jordan's eyes connected with hers until she dropped her gaze. "I need to go do something. I have to do it alone, and I know you aren't going to want to let me. However, if you trust me at all, and you want this relationship to work, you have to let me do this. I promise I'll come back within the next few hours, and I won't do anything that shouldn't be done." Maia's voice became firm. "I am going to do this. I have to. Me telling you this is just a courtesy, so you don't think I'm missing, or running away or anything." Taking a deep breath, Maia let her eyes meet his.

Jordan was looking at her blankly. After a moment, he said slowly, "I don't know when I started to, but I trust you, Maia. Go ahead and do what you have to do, but please come back to me." He approached her, keeping his gaze on her face. "I love you, Maia. Be safe." He bent slightly and kissed her on the forehead. For some reason, Maia had to fight tears in her eyes as she grabbed her shoes and left the apartment.


	13. First Rights Chapter Thirteen

**First Rights Chapter Thirteen**

_Disclaimer: _I do not own the Mortal Instruments Series. I'm trying to get these chapters out in a hurry, so I'm not really proofreading. Sorry for mistakes you may find, though I would love to hear about them. Reviews are nice, too. Just saying.

By the time Maia arrived outside of the restaurant, she had collected herself, but became worried again when Simon was nowhere to be found. Simon was never late for anything. Ever. Nervously, Maia pulled her phone out of her pocket. No new text messages. She quickly dialed Simon's number by heart and put the phone to her ear, but she was sent straight to voicemail. That was weird, too. Simon always answered his phone. Unwillingly, Maia called Clary. The two weren't really close friends, so Maia didn't want to bug Clary, but something bad could be going on.

"Hello?" Clary answered the phone.

"Hey, Clary, it's Maia."

"Oh. Hey." Clary's voice made it apparent that this was a strange and awkward conversation. "Did you need something?"

Maia cleared her throat. "Uh, yeah, I was wondering if you had heard from Simon lately...?"

"Yes, I have. Do you need to talk to him? Because he's right here." From Clary's tone, you would have thought Maia was brain damaged or something.

"If you wouldn't mind, I have a rather urgent matter to discuss with him. It won't take very long, I'm sure."

Sounding taken aback, Clary said, "Well, okay. Here he is."

The sound of a phone getting passed over hit Maia's ears. She heard a whispered, "Who is it?" He must have not gotten an answer, because Simon still sounded confused. "Hello?"

"Simon, it's Maia. Not to sound like a bitch or anything, but why aren't you answering your phone?" Maia winced, because she actually had sounded like a jealous, bitchy, attention-starved girlfriend.

Like Clary had earlier, Simon sounded a little shocked and surprised. Whatever, she was just having that effect on people today. "Uh, my cell phone was stolen, unfortunately."

Maia knew her voice sounded hollow, but she couldn't muster the strength to change that. "When, exactly, was your phone stolen?"

"Sometime before eight o'clock last night. Why?"

"I just needed to know. Listen, Simon, I have to go."

"Wait! Maia, there's something I have to tell you. I can't date you anymore. I like Isabelle, I like her a lot, and I've gotten closer to her in the past few days while you've been with Jordan. I just wanted you to know, so I wasn't leading you on or something. I'm sorry."

Maia stifled a laugh. That was so utterly unimportant to her right now, and he just kept talking. "Simon, no offense, I had a great time dating you, but I would have broken it off in just a little bit. I hope this doesn't hurt you too badly, but I have to tell you the truth: I think you're a worm. You don't care about me, you never did, and I don't know if you even care about Isabelle. You just are enjoying the idea of two girls fighting over you. I'm sorry, but that's what I think is the truth. Thanks for the good times, and I'll see you around. Have a nice life."

Simon started to say something else, but Maia clicked the phone shut, hanging up on him. Her mind was whirring. Someone had gone to the trouble of stealing Simon's phone and texting her to meet him. Someone was trying to get her away from the apartment, and Jordan. Was this person out to get her, or out to get Jordan? Quickly, Maia hailed a cab, and was soon on her way back to the apartment.

* * *

Jordan's cell phone rang. He knew without looking that it was Cedar. Flipping it open, Jordan asked, "Hello?"

"Hey, baby. I just got to the airport. I should be to your apartment in a few minutes. I just wanted to call and let you know. Maybe you could make sure that ghost is out of my way."

Jordan smiled, but ignored the comment about Braxton. "Do you want me to come pick you up?"

Cedar's voice came from the earpiece, offended. "Now Jordan, would I ever ask you to do that? I think your ghost friend is become a negative influence on how you treat people. No, I already called a cab. I'll see you in a few, bye."

"Bye," Jordan hung up a couple of seconds after his adoptive mother did. He rolled off of the bed and got dressed. He would meet his mother in the lobby, as he usually did. A minute or two later, Jordan was striding quickly through the living room. His hand had actually connected with the doorknob when Braxton stopped him.

Speaking from the couch, he asked, "Jordan, where are you going? What's going on? First, everyone keeps looking at their cell phones and getting upset, now everyone keeps leaving. What's going on?"

With his back to Braxton, Jordan winced. "Uh..." he tried desperately to think up a good reason, but was unable to. With shoulders slumped, he said, "Well, Maia's off doing something, I don't really know what. I'm going downstairs to the lobby to wait for someone."

"Oh, Jordan," the ghost sounded terribly disappointed. "Please tell me that your mother is not visiting us."

Still not facing Braxton, Jordan said, "Nah, my mother isn't visiting us." He heard the man breathe a sigh of relief. "My adoptive mother is visiting us. Cedar will be here in a few minutes."

The ghost swore, loud and poisonously. "A little warning would have been greatly appreciated. However, I know how you like to meet Cedar in the lobby. Go, go meet her. I shall be hiding in Maia's room for the duration of her visit."

Feeling bad, Jordan turned the doorknob, let himself out, and went to go wait in the lobby.

* * *

Maia relaxed as she got to Jordan's apartment building - that wasn't turned into a pile of rubble, or surrounded by a fleet of firetrucks. Gratefully, she clambered out of the taxi and paid the driver, giving him a generous tip for the swift ride. Every step she took gave Maia greater sense of relief until she was reaching for the door handle. Just then, someone grabbed her by the shoulders and drew her off into the shadows on the side of the front of the building. Maia stared, eyes wide with shock, even as the figure shoved her up against the wall. Shockingly, it had grown dark outside. Quite a bit of time had passed during the Simon incident, and she had woken up anyway. Despite the darkness, and with her wolf's vision, Maia could see that the person was Caelin.

Her voice was calm. "What the hell are you doing here, Caelin? Why are you touching me?"

Caelin's voice was warm. "I'm here because I love you too much to let you stay in the company of that vile son of a bitch, Jordan. I had to bring you over here because he's in the lobby, waiting for you. Come, now, let's run away. You should run with me. We'll live together, happily ever after, and no one will ever force you to do anything you don't want to do again. Please, Maia, come with me." He kissed the side of her neck.

Maia pulled away from him. "Are you high?" she demanded. "I like Jordan. A lot. You and I are just friends. And, from what I see, _you _are the only one who is trying to force me to do something I don't want to do. I'm staying here, and I suggest you get away from me right this moment."

Instead, Caelin continued to pin her shoulders as he leaned in and captured her lips. Maia did her best to knee him where it counted, but he managed to block her with his own knee. She bit his lip violently, and Caelin pulled back and swore. Just then, someone behind him cleared their throat. Maia looked over Caelin's shoulder to see two figures standing there. _Two? _She spit out Caelin's blood and jerked her body away from his. One of the figures reached forward and grabbed her wrist, pulling her towards it. Maia fell against Jordan.

The other figure looked down at her. "And you're sure she didn't invite the contact?"

Jordan shook his head, glaring at Caelin. "No, Cedar. We've had a few problems with unwanted contact with this one." After gently handing Maia over to Cedar, Jordan stepped forward, grabbing Caelin's collar. Caelin was still holding a hand to his bleeding lip, but he managed to give Jordan a hateful stare. Jordan spoke low and threateningly. "If you ever touch her, come near her, or even look at her again, I will kill you. I'm not going to beat your ass, though you deserve it. I will break your neck, and I know someone who will cremate you. Then I'll take your ashes and throw them off of a bridge, if I'm feeling nice. If not, I'll flush you down a public toilet. Are we clear? You leave Maia alone."

Caelin's eyes had gotten wider and wider during Jordan's threat, and now he nodded, still trying to look tough. Jordan let go of him, practically tossing Caelin in the opposite direction from Maia. "Go, and don't ever let me see you again."

After watching Caelin run away, Jordan turned back around. "Come on. Let's go upstairs. Do you want me to help you carry something, mom?"

The new woman shook her head. "I've got it, thanks." She turned a steely gaze on Maia. "You. Are you positive you didn't, in any way, encourage that boy to kiss you?" The woman sounded suspicious.

Maia kicked up her chin. "No, I did not. We were friends, but I had no idea he was envisioning more for us. I let him know very clearly that I liked Jordan, and that I wouldn't run away from him." She gazed at the woman. "And who exactly are you, might I ask? And why are you hanging around my - Jordan?"

The woman returned Maia's gaze for a few moments, then turned to Jordan. "I like this one. Hang on to her." She turned back to Maia and smiled. "I'm Cedar, Jordan's adoptive mother. It's very nice to meet you, despite the circumstances."

Shell-shocked, Maia shook Cedar's hand. "I suppose it's nice to meet you, too." She nodded at the pile of luggage behind Cedar. "Are you sure you can carry all of that? It looks like quite the load. I would be happy to help you carry it."

Cedar smiled wider. "My dear, I never pack more than I can carry, but I believe I've outdone myself this time. If you wouldn't mind, the aid would be greatly appreciated."

Maia obligingly grabbed a few bags and nodded at Jordan, who was holding the door. They soon got everything and everyone upstairs, though Braxton was nowhere to be found.

After looking around, Maia asked, "Where is everyone going to sleep?"

Jordan looked stumped for a moment, then a look of triumph snuck over his face. "My mom can sleep in your room, and you'll bunk with me."

Maia was unamused. "Or, your mom can sleep in my room, you can sleep alone, and I'll sleep out in the living room."

Cedar wouldn't hear of it. "I couldn't stand the thought of putting someone out, but I can't sleep on the couch, back problems, you know. If you'll stay with Jordan, it would just be such a load off of my mind. Please, Maia. Couldn't you just stay with him for one night?"

Maia felt guilty, so she agreed. Since she then went to get nightclothes out of her room, she missed the wink Cedar gave Jordan. Maia was rummaging through the wardrobe when she heard a voice hiss, "Is she here yet?"

Maia whipped around to see a frightened looking Braxton standing there. "What?" Maia asked in a normally pitched voice.

"Shhh," Braxton urged. "Is Cedar here yet?"

"Yeah! She's really not bad, not that I thought she would be in the first place. She'll be staying in here tonight - "

"WHAT?" the ghost screeched. Maia screamed out of reflex, and Jordan was there in a blink, along with Cedar, who's face twisted when she saw Braxton.

"Oh, it's you. You can't stay here tonight, this will be my room, and if you think you'll be staying in here with me, you can just - "

"You cannot stay here!" Braxton groaned. "I have already staked a claim on this room for the duration of your visit!"

Cedar began to argue, and Braxton spoke louder until both were yelling.

Jordan darted across the room and grabbed Maia. He picked her up in his arms and sprinted out of the room, not stopping until they were safe in Jordan's room. "For future reference," he said, sweeping his hair out of his eyes, "never get between the two of them when they're fighting. It's never a good idea. We'll just stay here until the shouting dies down, okay?"

Maia agreed, and the two stayed in Jordan's room and talked until they both fell asleep.


	14. First Rights Chapter Fourteen

**First Rights Chapter Fourteen**

_Disclaimer: _I do not own the Mortal Instruments Series. Warning: I switch POVs a lot in this chapter, sorry. There is also one small reference to my other story. If you haven't read it, just ignore it. If you catch it, anyway. Enjoy!

When Maia woke up the next morning, Jordan was nowhere to be found. Slowly, she stretched and sat up as her eyes found the clock. She groaned as she found it was only nine in the morning. Ugh. However, she wasn't even close to being able to go back to sleep. Maia stood up and slid a robe on over her pajamas. Regretfully, she made her way to the bedroom door, then into the living room. Though she couldn't see them yet, Maia could hear Cedar and Jordan talking in the kitchen. Talking and - she took a deep breath - drinking coffee.

Something, she didn't know what, made her pause in the living room. Silently, Maia stood outside the door and listened to Jordan and Cedar's conversation.

"I don't know why you're putting things off," Cedar was saying. "Why don't you just ask the girl to marry you? It's coming rather late in your life for one of our kind as it is. It is obvious to me that you love her and she loves you."

Jordan groaned. "Mom, I can't just pop off and ask her to spend the rest of her life with me. I changed her into a werewolf against her will, disappeared, and then I came back and claimed First Rights. At this point, I've only spent a few days with her. That's not enough to convince her to stay with me. Yeah, I love her, but she's got trust issues that I gave her. I need a little more time, then maybe I can swing it."

Cedar sighed. "Jordan, honey, you have done bad things in your past, but so has everyone. Maia has forgiven you, I can tell. If you don't think she'll accept marrying you, just get her the old-fashioned way."

Jordan sounded bewildered. "What are you talking about, old-fashioned way?"

Cedar sounded more exasperated than ever. "The way of the lycanthropes! You're her sire. Since you created her and gave her the werewolf form, werewolf law states that if the two of you spend a complete twenty-four hours together in your wolf form, you are considered legally married, and every werewolf everywhere will help enforce that legality. And, in the absolute worst case, if Maia refuses to change to her wolf form, you, again, are her sire. You can -"

"-force her. I know, mom." Jordan sounded appalled. "That's completely out-dated and barbaric. It's a horrible thing to do to anyone, but especially a person I love like I love Maia!"

"'Out-dated'? 'Barbaric'? Do you know what is out-dated and barbaric, Jordan? Claiming First Rights! You have to do what you have to do, no matter what others think about it. Maia might not be happy with you at first, but she will come to love you again in time, like she has over the past few days. Give it thought, honey."

Jordan now sounded considering. "Maybe, if I make it sound like it's something that has to be done, she won't be angry with me."

Maia covered her mouth and backed away from the door. She had forgiven Jordan, and fallen in love with him all over again, and this was what he was doing? Planning to trick her into marrying him? No! She wouldn't stay around here any longer. Silently, she jogged off to her room, packed a small bag, and left the apartment. She was going to the airport. Maia would get far away from Jordan, where her feelings couldn't influence her, and she would think about what had to be done.

* * *

Jordan shook his head, pacing around while talking to his adoptive mother. "No, I really don't want to trick Maia. If she doesn't love me enough to marry me, then I can wait. I've got the time. I'll just wait a little longer, then I'll ask - " He broke off, midsentence, and inhaled. All he smelled was coffee. Jordan stepped to the doorway and inhaled again. He smelled Maia and - anguish. Recent, too. Had she heard their conversation? Quickly, he made his way to the bedroom. She wasn't there.

Enlisting the help of both Cedar and Braxton, Jordan searched the apartment and discovered that Maia was nowhere to be found. "Damn it!" he swore, grinding a fist into the wall. "Where would she have gone?"

Braxton hesitantly cleared his throat. "She packed a bag about ten minutes ago. She also grabbed her purse after making sure she had some money and a passport. I believe she is making her way to the airport."

Cedar glared at Braxton. "Did you never think that you should come and tell us that she was running away?"

Braxton looked offended. "Everyone has been moving from place to place quite a bit lately, and I got rather confused. It is not my job to keep track of who should be going where and when."

Jordan ignored both of them as he grabbed his wallet and ran downstairs to call a taxi. He didn't have any idea of what he was going to say to Maia to convince her to stay, but if there was one thing he _did _know, it was that he couldn't survive without her in his life.

* * *

Maia had gotten into the airport and was viewing a screen with all the possible destinations on it. Concentrating, she tried to picture herself in each one, attempting to decide on where to go. Suddenly, a feeling of intense pain hit her, culminating in her chest and upper stomach. Maia staggered over to a nearby seat and sat heavily in it, unable to hold herself up any longer. She couldn't leave, she realized. Though she was mad as hell with him right now, she loved Jordan, and the very idea of leaving him was causing her actual pain. A few tears sprang to her eyes as she became frustrated by the unfairness of it all, but there was nothing Maia could do. She had no alternative but to stay here, with Jordan.

She buried her head in her hands and tried to think of a way out of all of this, but no matter how long she lectured her heart, Maia couldn't convince herself that there was an alternative to staying. She sighed and got ready to stand up and walk back out. If she was lucky, Jordan hadn't even realized she had left, and she could sneak in as un-noticed as she had sneaked out. As she bent down to grab her bag, she heard running footsteps and a familiar voice shout her name. Jordan's voice.

Shocked, Maia straightened up and located him, running toward her.

* * *

Jordan actually broke out in a cold sweat of relief when he saw that Maia hadn't left yet. He continued to run, however, because he couldn't bear another second without her in his arms. Jordan felt like a piece of shit when he saw the tears in Maia's eyes, knew they were because of him. He finally reached her and wrapped his arms around her. After a moment, he pulled back just enough to capture her mouth with his own. They kissed frantically, attracting attention from a number of the other people in the airport. With their mouths still connected, Jordan opened his eyes, and saw Maia's staring back from a few millimeters away. His heart swelled with simultaneous joy and sadness. Joy, because he had gotten the chance to meet her. Sadness, because of what he was about to do.

Moving his head slowly, Jordan gently broke their kiss. Since they were still being watched by a number of people, he put his mouth against Maia's ear to speak the following words, "Maia, I hearby release you from my First Rights."

He felt it immediately, the loss of power, but was glad to be rid of it. The nagging doubt that Maia was loving him of his own free will was eating him alive, and Jordan couldn't stand it any more. Let the chips fall where they may; the truth would come out now.

Maia looked shocked. "You... release me?" Then, the tears broke free from her luminous eyes and streamed down her cheeks. Jordan was about to ask why, but Maia threw her arms around him again. "I can't! I tried so hard to leave you, but I couldn't. I love you, but I'm so pissed off at you! I don't know if I'll ever forgive you for what you said, I don't know if I'll ever trust you again!"

Jordan was overjoyed. "You love me?"

Maia's eyes flashed and she hit him in the shoulder. "That's all you heard from what I just said?" She sighed. "Of course I love you. Now, take me home so I don't have to put up with all of these people staring at me any more."

"Not yet," Jordan said, and registered Maia's look of surprise. Feeling like a complete fool, he lowered himself down on one knee. "I know it's not the most romantic place to propose, but I can't go a second longer without knowing. Maia, I love you, and I hope you love me, too. I can't face the thought of spending another day without you. Your smile makes me want to fly, your tears make me want to go beat someone. I am completely and utterly devoted to you. Please, will you marry me?"

Everyone in their ever-increasing crowd _aww_ed. Maia grabbed Jordan's hair and drug him up to her. "All right, you convinced me. I will marry you." She kissed him again and the crowd clapped, then went along with their business. She pulled back. "Can we go now? I really hate airports."

Jordan smiled and nodded. "Trust me, they're not one of my favorite places either, especially not since all of that time I spent with Natalya and Zane."

Maia looked at him, confused. "Who?"

Jordan shook his head as he gathered her one small bag. "Let's just say I got into some very interesting situations when I left New York. I'll tell you all about them later, but right now, we've got to get home so we can tell my mother that everything turned out okay after all. I left her and Braxton arguing, so I don't know if either of them are still alive." He grimaced.

Maia actually looked concerned. "We'd better get home then!" The two of them kissed once more and then they left, arms wrapped around one another.


	15. First Rights Chapter Fifteen

**First Rights Chapter Fifteen**

_Disclaimer:_ I do not own the Mortal Instruments Series.

Maia and Jordan arrived home and rushed inside the apartment breathlessly. As there was no blood or carnage on the floor, the two considered it confirmed that there had been no major battle while they were gone. The lack of life made them suspicious, but they warily picked their way through to the kitchen. There, Cedar sat with a cup of coffee, head in her hands, worrying out loud to, of all people, Braxton.

"I don't know, Braxton," she was saying. "I think I might have really messed up their relationship. What if I damaged something permanently?"

Jordan turned to Maia and grinned, holding her there and lifting a finger in front of his lips. For now, they would listen, and Maia understood that this eavesdropping was partly to make up for what she had overheard earlier in the day.

Braxton's voice was soothing. "It was not entirely your fault. You are a mother, and as such, you worry about your son. He has not seemed to connect with any one person for a great while now, and of course you were worried. You were merely listing alternatives for Jordan. Besides that, Maia shouldn't have been listening outside the door. Anything she heard that she did not like was her fault."

Maia blushed deeply. There was truth in what Braxton was saying. The poor ghost was like a therapist for them all, and an unpaid one at that.

Cedar didn't sound convinced. "Well, this is it for me. No more interfering. I'll stay at my home where I can say or do anything without pissing people off. I'm not going to bother Jordan or Maia any more."

Jordan walked nonchalantly into the room. "Now, mom, you can't stop interfering now."

Cedar looked up at Jordan, eyes hopeful. "Did you find her? Will she give me a chance to explain?"

Jordan had his arm around the corner of the doorway, holding on to Maia's hand. Now he brought that arm into the kitchen, bringing Maia with it. "Even better," Jordan said, kissing Maia on the forehead. "She's agreed to marry me."

Cedar started crying. "I was so worried! What if I had messed up your one chance for happiness?" She shook her head, overcome with the thought, then stood up and wrapped a startled Maia in her arms. "You. From the moment I met you, I knew you were the one who would bring my boy back to life again. Even though you were kissing another man at the time, I knew you were the perfect one for Jordan. Thank you so much. Welcome to the family."

Releasing Maia, Cedar turned to Jordan, grabbing his hands. "And you, my baby boy. All this time, I was searching for your perfect mate. How was I to know that you would find your perfect mate all on your own? I'm so proud of you, honey. I love you. I only wish your father was here right now. I'll smack him for you when I get home." She patted Jordan on the cheek and hugged him, too.

Suddenly, a knock on the door echoed through the apartment. Cedar let go of her adopted son and pulled away to cry softly in the background, overcome with happiness. Jordan furrowed his eyebrows and walked to the door, putting an eye to the peephole. "I don't believe it. Hell no." He whipped the door open, grabbed a fistful of shirt, and yanked Caelin inside, slamming the door behind him.

Caelin held his hands up in front of him. "Give me a chance to explain." Maia looked at him, noting several subtle differences. His eyes had lost their masked appearance. He didn't look frightened of Jordan in the least, in either face or body language.

"Explain what, you little shit? That you decided you couldn't help but come for Maia again? You're too late, we're getting married."

Caelin lowered his head, but he was smiling when he looked back up at Jordan. "I know. I was there." Jordan gaped, but Caelin went on. "I've been there for almost everything that's happened in your relationship. Do you remember how long it took the Council to let you claim First Rights? How there was that period they kept putting you off? That was me, I was being planted in Maia's life. The Council was using me as a plant to destroy your relationship with Maia."

Jordan's hand snaked down, releasing Caelin as Maia gasped. "What? Why? Why would the Council care about something as insignificant as whether Jordan and I got along?"

Caelin sighed. "Much as we've tried to change it, the people of the Council dislike those of us lycanthropes who were made instead of born. They will go to extreme lengths to see even one of the made ones be killed. So, I was planted in hopes that, if Maia could care for me, you would become jealous. See, the Council knows that you have a temper and are extremely jealous anyway. If your jealousy seemed to have a basis in fact, and you thought Maia liked me more than she liked you, the consensus was that you would claim your First Rights and kill her. This way, another one of the made lycanthropes would be dead and the Council couldn't possibly be blamed for it. However, as time went on, it became apparent that you trusted Maia. I became more and more reluctant to enforce the Council's orders, especially since I have gotten to know and like Maia. I was supposed to follow the two of you at all times. When I followed Maia to the airport this morning, I thought I knew for sure what was going to happen: she would run and be considered a rogue, then would be executed. I knew Jordan cared too much for her to ever kill Maia himself. However, when I was listening to your conversation at the airport, I was shocked to hear Jordan release Maia from his First Rights. This was the one way the Council would have been willing to leave the two of you alone to live your lives without their interference. As soon as I heard that, I returned to the Council, related what happened, and asked for them to reconsider. After a meeting closed to me, they agreed. The Council now wishes for you to know that you have their complete blessing and they wish you happiness in your marriage."

Caelin finished with his story and stood quietly, making excellent eye contact with everyone in the room. No one was saying anything, but everyone believed him. The Council worked this way, with many twists and turns in their planning, all designed to throw off anyone who was suspicious. The enormity of what had almost happened was breaking over all of them, and everyone was silent. Jordan cleared his throat sharply, breaking the silence into a thousand different pieces. "So, there is no way the Council is going to start trying to mess with us again? We have a guarantee that they're not going to try to hurt us again?"

Caelin nodded. "They'll never try to hurt you or your family again. Your marriage has full blessing from them. And from me, if that counts for anything. I sincerely wish for the two of you to be happy."

Jordan stepped forward again. Instead of starting any fights or anything, he met Caelin's eyes and held out a hand. Caelin glanced at the hand, then up at Jordan again. He smiled, and the two shook hands in a manner that could almost be called fervent. "Congratulations," Caelin said, with real feeling. His eyes flicked at Maia and Jordan nodded, stepping out of his way.

Caelin walked forward. "Maia, you are an amazing person. I have had a wonderful time knowing you, and I hope that you will be happy in your marriage. You - either of you, that is - call always call me if you need anything. I will be more than happy to help in any way." With that, he hugged Maia. When he pulled away, Jordan came up and kissed Maia. Caelin laughed to himself. Maybe Jordan would always be jealous, but he trusted Maia, and the two would be all right.

_Author's Note:_ I hope everyone liked the story. I'm sorry if I ended it early. If you liked this, please feel free to read my other story. Jordan's in it, too. Thanks for sticking with me!


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